To help the country tackle tough environmental problems, U.S. research needs to be better coordinated and redirected, according to a preliminary report of a National Research Council committee that includes UC Davis Chancellor Theodore L. Hullar. (Hullar is presently on special assignment at the UC President's Office.) A summary of the report was released last week for a joint hearing held by two House subcommittees. The report calls for a new "National Environmental Council," chaired by the vice president and composed of heads of the federal environmental agencies. At a mimimum, the report recommends "cultural changes" in science and government so that environmental research advances social goals -- protecting the environment for present and future generations; restoring damaged ecosystems; and managing natural, economic, cultural and human resources in ways that encourage the sustainable use of the environment. For major improvements in the quality and strength of its environmental research and policy programs, the country needs a new "Department of the Environment," which would encompass other federal environmental agencies, according to the report.