Government and Ethics http://www.uhigh.ilstu.edu/tech/PT/

Discussion Questions Is it the job of the government to keep industries ethical? What are some of the government agencies whose job involves oversight? Is technology involved in any government agencies?

Agencies Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Department of Corrections (DOC) FBI, CIA, NSA, NASA, NRC, Homeland Sec., Others

Government Policies Nuclear Regulatory Commission Would you be wiling to reduce the energy you use to quit using nuclear power? Where is most of the nuclear waste stored? Is there any nuclear waste in Texas? NIMBY

Government Oversight How involved should government be in watching public industries and technologies? In March 1989 one of the most publicized oil spills in the world occurred at Prince William Sound, Alaska. Think for a moment about how you feel about this accident. Were you mad? If you were, at whom were you angry? The public record indicated that the captain of the Valdez oil tanker had been drinking alcohol on the day that the accident occurred. Should you be mad at the government? Why or why not?

Make believe you were a scientist working on the oil spill and you found that by using a specialized vacuum to suck the oil off the surface of the water was the best cleanup method. The company involved in the accident however, wants hard evidence that this is the best way to clean up the spill. Should you provide the data you developed (for the clean up) about the amount of damage the spill caused? Do you think the damage of the spill should be known? Should the cleanup of the spill be delayed for any reason?

During the Exxon Valdez spill, an entire staff of scientists working on the project were not allowed to talk about the damage the spill caused or offer any of their suggestions for cleaning up the spill. The State Attorney General of Alaska gagged the scientists after the spill. The reason the Attorney General gave was that he didn't want Exxon to get the upper hand in the lawsuit the State would ultimately bring against the Exxon Corporation. The cleanup of the oil spill was held at a standstill for many days. Precious time was lost in the cleanup. Time that would have been used to learn about the early stages of an oil spill and what could be done to clean one up.

Questions? Was it ethical for the Attorney General to silence the scientists? If you were one of the scientists, would you release the information you had? Why or why not? Which is more important a lawsuit or the environment? Why? Imagine you are one of the scientists. Use the self tests and decide if you would release the cleanup information. Be sure and answer all of the self-test questions. Note: Did you know that some good did come out of the oil spill in Alaska? In the Spring of 1994 Afognak Island State Park officially came into existence. The 42,000 acre state park was paid for with $38.7 million from the Exxon Valdez oil-spill settlement. The park includes prime habitat for animals harmed by the 1989 spill, including bald eagles, marbled murrelets, harbor seals, and sea otters. (TCS # 4, 5, 6 & 7)

Military How ethical is the military? What about other countries and their military? What about the draft? Duties of citizens? Military experiments on unknowing soldiers? Killing / training to kill? Why have a military?

Military (cont.) Large portion of US budget on the military! Ethical? Military technologies lead to civilian advancements for our country. Ethics involved in the technologies that lead to or are used in war? Military soldier or work for a contractor, maybe you someday! http://www.usna.edu/Ethics/