Browsing by Subject "Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oversight policy in synthetic biology
    (2009-10) Tanji, Todd Masaru
    Researchers in the emerging field of synthetic biology strive to lower the economic barriers-to-entry into genetic engineering by drawing parallels to the historical development of the semiconductor and computer industries. Standardized engineering methodologies are being developed to create “biological circuits” akin to basic electronic computing functions such as Boolean logic gates, switches, time clocks, communication ports, and environmental sensors. Higher level processing is also being developed by employing common biological molecules such as ribosomes, proteins, amino acids, and nucleotides as computing elements akin to data inputs and outputs, software programming, data memory, and data processing. Researchers are developing standardized, open source engineering methodologies to increase the efficiency and efficacy of biological product development in a manner that draws inspiration from open source software development. With these advancements in synthetic biology come important public policy issues. This paper is designed to uncover a diversity of broad oversight issues by examining case studies from the historical development of the semiconductor industry, information technology, and biotechnology to anticipate future oversight issues with synthetic biology. Similarities and differences between synthetic biology, biotechnology, and semiconductors are examined to determine where it is appropriate to draw oversight comparisons. The issues presented in the cases are framed in the context of four specific biomedical ethical values - autonomy, justice, benevolence, and nonmaleficence. Oversight issues identified in this work include informed consent concerns, biocrimes, bioterrorism, intellectual property rights, product negligence, technology access, and socioeconomic considerations. The current U.S. regulatory framework is examined in terms of its capability to cope with the anticipated sharp increase in synthetic biology and biotechnological capabilities in the private and public sectors. This work concludes that oversight policy may anticipate a dramatic rise in the number of practitioners of advanced genetic engineering as well as the number of bioengineered products as a result of synthetic biology. The sophistication of bioengineered products may also increase as genetic engineers adopt efficient development and manufacturing methods inspired from the semiconductor and information technology industries. Also possible to emerge is amateur bioengineering, or so-called “garage biology”. In many cases, risks from synthetic biology can exceed risks from semiconductor technology due to the ability of living organisms to reproduce, evolve, and interact with human and natural environments in an unpredictable manner.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Short-­‐Term Benefits of Adopting a Real-­‐Time Pricing Rate Structure for Retail Electricity in the Midwest ISO Region
    (2011-01) Hinck, Travis J.
    By improving the degree to which retail electricity transactions take place under free market conditions and eliminating deadweight losses caused by the flat rate most consumers currently pay, the long-term benefits of charging electricity users based on a real-time pricing (RTP) rate structure are projected to be very large as a percentage of total energy costs. In the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) region, the benefits are estimated to be at least $500 million per year in the long run. However, in order to adopt RTP, significant investments in the infrastructure required to support it must be made. Specifically, smart meters capable of measuring when electricity is consumed must be purchased and installed to replace conventional “dumb” meters used today. The total cost of the transition could be as high as $10 billion in the MISO region, of which approximately only $6 billion will be saved directly in utilities’ operational costs. This study was designed to determine whether the deadweight losses eliminated by RTP in the short run are great enough to bridge the gap between the short-term costs of smart meter installation and the shortterm gains in operational savings. The results of the study indicate that the deadweight loss RTP is capable of eliminating in MISO in the short run is valued at approximately $180 million per year. While large, these benefits will not likely directly convince regulators and utility managers to make the necessary remaining $4 billion short-term investments in infrastructure. Therefore, regulatory changes, tax incentives, targeted deployment and other policy approaches to promote RTP adoption must be considered if the region is to reap the considerable long-term economic efficiency gains RTP can deliver.