The OTA was created in 1972 by the U.S. Congress to provide nonpartisan analyses of issues in science and tech that affected the nation. For 23 years, the OTA conducted studies that indicated the benefits and risks of new tech, testified before various Congressional committees about eliminating technologies that weren’t scientifically sound, and presented policy options that accorded with independent science. It was one of the most well-respected, productive, and cost-efficient agencies in history, with a $22 mil budget in 1995, a staff of less than 200, and some of the brightest minds in science and policy providing analyses on issues relating to climate change, health care policy, agricultural production, telecommunications, space policy, electronic surveillance, and national defense.
This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.
