2 guidelines of 10 mW/cm are a recommended set of values established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in 1966. Events from as early as the 1930's, stimulated by research on "nonthermal" effects of rf radiation as a therapeutic technique, are the roots of the ANSI standard. Currently the lead federal agencies with regulatory responsibilities for microwave radiation are the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), the Department of Labor (DOL), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Each of these agencies contains specialized subsidiary offices, research, or advisory bureaus to assist a respective agency in establishing and enforcing microwave regulations. The entire federal regulatory process is currently under review, aimed at streamlining and improving the system. Proposed changes include a Committee on Regulatory Evaluation to oversee the regulatory efforts of all agencies. The regulatory changes would also require each new ruling with an economic impact of more than $100 million to consider alternatives to the ruling, including projected costs and benefits of the proposal. For SPS, these regulatory changes would demand an assessment of microwave health effects and a cost and benefit analysis of SPS-derived energy weighed against not having enough energy in the absence of SPS, or any other energy-producing concept. In general, there is a growing trend toward stricter controls on activities perceived harmful to public health. There is also a trend toward the convergence of microwave standards worldwide, characterized by a lowering of Western exposure levels while Eastern countries consider standard relaxation. Cooperative exchange programs and an increasing dialogue between countries and scientists have contributed to a better understanding of methodology and experimental techniques used to develop standards. The need for additional bioeffects research is central to adopting public and workplace standards. Of particular relevance to SPS is the initiation of long-term, low-level microwave exposure programs. Coupled with new developments in instrumentation and dosimetry, the results from chronic exposure programs and population exposure programs and population exposure studies could be expected within the next five to ten years. Public interest in microwave radiation is on the increase. Public concern that rf energy is yet another hazardous environmental agent is sparked by increasing media attention to the topic. In the absence of definitive scientific data on electromagnetic bioeffects, both thermal and nonthermal, discussions of utilizing microwaves may engender all the rhetoric, pro and con, which surrounds the implementation of nuclear power. Agencies with a purview over the Satellite Power System have been identified including the scope of their responsibility and when and how they can be expected to exercise their authority. The materials are presented in a workbook format. The identification of agencies was accomplished by calling out major SPS functions and activities within the five remaining phases and also within the major issue areas. This list of functions addresses an SPS of international nature as well as one that is limited to a national focus. In either scenario, most of the regulatory functions would continue to be applicable to SPS construction and operation within the United States, but the roles of some agencies, such as the Department of State, would increase dramatically in the international scenario. The SPS concept poses many exposures to both financial loss and liability to third parties. In order to eliminate or minimize these exposures, it is possible that insurance could be provided
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