A federal task force has published a report to help prevent natural gas leaks after one such incident occurred at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility in California.

The Energy Department said Tuesday the Interagency Task Force on Natural Gas Storage Safety’s report includes lessons from the Aliso Canyon leak; analysis of 400 U.S.-based underground natural gas storage wells; and recommendations to prevent and mitigate the risks of future leaks.

DOE added the report recommends for facility operators to eliminate “single point of failure” designs; conduct risk assessments; establish transition plans to address high-risk infrastructure; and implement safety and reliability procedures while facilities undergo design modernization.

The task force studied the stability of wells at natural gas storage facilities; the impact of leaks on public health and environment; and energy reliability concerns in case of future leaks, DoE noted.

DOE said the task force held three public workshops to obtain input from local and state level stakeholders such as gas storage operators and state regulators.

The White House formed the task force in response to the Aliso Canyon leak and the energy secretary led the panel comprised of representatives from the departments of Transportation, Commerce, Interior and Health and Human Services; the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.‘s board of directors is scheduled to conduct an open session meeting on Wednesday to discuss various public policies.

FDIC said in a Federal Register notice published Monday it plans to discuss the temporary waiver of appraisal requirements for certain flood-affected areas in Louisiana and review regulations transferred from the former Office of Thrift Supervision.

The board will also meet to tackle proposed rules to implement requirements of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012  as well as interagency enhanced cyber risk management standards.

The agency said the meeting is in accordance with the Government in the Sunshine Act and will be broadcast live via webcast.

An online survey from the U.S. Postal Service‘s inspector general indicates a majority of U.S. residents support the concept of drone-delivered packages than those who do not with an additional large group of respondents have yet to decide.

USPS ‘ IG surveyed 1,465 U.S. residents that are aged 18 to 75 years old in efforts to determine public opinion on drone delivery, according to a report published Oct.11.

Respondents expect drone delivery to be offered within the next 5-10 years and the public’s primary concern is drone malfunction, USPS’ IG said.

The survey also showed that exposure to information on drone delivery drives interest in the concept and respondents regard one-hour delivery as the technology’s most interesting application.

USPS’ IG noted it may be too early to launch drone delivery since the service could impact overall brand positivity.

Association with drone delivery could help optimize the Postal Service’s ratings in terms of innovation, USPS’ IG said.

The Obama administration has proposed to increase federal investments in research and development projects on clean energy from $6.4 billion in fiscal year 2016 to $12.8 billion in FY 2021 as part of FY 2017 budget request.

A White House blog post published Thurday that the proposed funding is part of the U.S. government’s commitment to Mission Innovation, a global initiative that seeks to advance private and public sector investments in clean energy technology platforms in an effort to address climate change.

Ali Zaidi, associate director for natural resources, energy and science at the Office of Management and Budget, co-wrote the blog post with Lynn Orr, undersecretary for science and energy at the Energy Department.

Zaidi and Orr wrote that the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has funded at least 500 clean energy projects that have secured over $1.25 billion in follow-on private sector funds since 2009.

DOE also has introduced several programs in order to leverage its 17 national laboratories, such as the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programs that seek to recruit and help researchers transition their energy technologies to market and Lab-Corps that aims to provide customer-focused training program for national lab researchers.

Other DOE initiatives that seek to help entrepreneurs commercialize their clean energy technologies include the Cleantech University Prize, Build4Scale and the National Incubator Initiative for Clean Energy.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will host a National Trademark Expo Friday and Saturday in Washington to help educate the public on the what role trademarks play in business development and their value for growth in the global marketplace.

Mary Boney Denison, USPTO commissioner for trademarks, wrote in a guest post published Monday the Expo will have a “Movement and Energy” theme and tackle issues such as unusual trademarks and brand evolution.

Denison noted attendees can participate in seminars to discuss trademark basics, applications to seek federal registration, what happens after registration and purchases of products and services.

“This year’s Expo will feature exhibits and display cases of authentic goods alongside counterfeit goods, including a display by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board,” said Denison.

“A number of our country’s leading corporations, small businesses, and governmental agencies will also be on site.”

President Barack Obama intends to appoint Meghan Flanz, former deputy general counsel for legal operations and accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs, as VA assistant secretary for human resources and administration.

The White House named Flanz among other individuals to key administration posts in a release published Friday.

Flanz currently serves as acting assistant secretary for human resources and administration at VA, where she leads team of more than 750 employees who support approximately 300,000 department employees and 4,000 HR personnel across the U.S.

She previously held the roles of senior adviser to the general counsel for strategic planning; associate general counsel for strategic planning and education; deputy assistant secretary for labor-management relations.

Flanz joined the department in 2001 as senior attorney for labor and employment after she worked as litigation associate and senior litigation associate in private practice.