American Geological Institute American Geological Institute
HR 2827 IH
104th CONGRESS
1st Session
To consolidate and improve governmental environmental research by
organizing a National Institute for the Environment, and for other
purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 21, 1995
Mr. SAXTON (for himself, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania,
Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. GOSS, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr.
KLUG, Mr. EHLERS, Mr. BLUTE, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode
Island, Mr. SABO, Mr. OLVER, Mr. YATES, Mr. WARD, Mr.
TORKILDSEN, Mr. DAVIS, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. SHAYS, Mrs. MORELLA,
and Mrs. ROUKEMA) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Science
A BILL
To consolidate and improve governmental environmental research by
organizing a National Institute for the Environment, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Sound Science for the Environment
Act'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States lacks an effective mechanism for
providing and communicating a comprehensive, objective, and
credible scientific understanding of environmental issues in a
timely manner to policymakers and the public.
(2) An appropriate understanding of the diverse scientific
issues that underlie the environmental problems facing the
United States is essential to finding environmentally and
economically sound solutions to these problems.
(3) To be useful, this understanding requires the integration
of ongoing assessments of the state of scientific knowledge
with credible problem-focused research, the communication of
scientific information, and the appropriate education and
training of environmental scientists, engines, and other
professionals.
(4) A healthy environment is essential to an enhanced quality
of life, a competitive economy, and national security.
(5) It is imperative that our Nation wisely expend its fiscal
resources by eliminating duplication of certain Federal
environmental research, and by consolidating Federal
environmental science programs resulting in a more
cost-effective and efficient use of resources, to achieve a
better integration of an overall national environmental
research strategy.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to consolidate certain governmental
environmental science functions and create an independent institute
to--
(1) improve the scientific basis for decision-making on
environmental issues by integrating the functions of knowledge
assessment, research, information services, and education and
training; and
(2) provide national leadership in environmental science and
research.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
There is hereby established as an independent agency the National
Institute for the Environment. The mission of the Institute shall
be to improve the scientific basis for decisionmaking on
environment issues.
SEC. 5. DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS.
The duties and functions of the Institute shall be--
(1) to initiate, facilitate, and where appropriate perform
comprehensive assessments of the current state of knowledge of
environmental issues and their implications;
(2) to establish a Center for Environmental Assessment with
duties to--
(A) identify emerging issues and problems by evaluating
conditions and trends of the state of the environment;
(B) determine the state of environmental knowledge by
identifying what is known about particular issues and the
voids in the current knowledge base;
(C) evaluate implications of that knowledge and
communicate scientific understanding of environmental
issues to decisionmakers and the public;
(D) identify areas of research that would provide the
scientific information needed by decisionmakers and the
public on critical environmental issues and evaluate
constraints which may affect the conduct of this research,
including the limitations in technological, human, and
economic resources;
(E) assist the Board and Director of the Institute in
setting goals and priorities for the Institute; and
(F) cooperate with and utilize the National Academy of
Sciences and similar scientific organizations where
appropriate;
(3) to award competitively peer-reviewed grants, and where
appropriate contracts, competitively for extramural scientific
research;
(4) to establish a Directorate of Research with duties to--
(A) fund issue-oriented research on--
(i) environmental resources (including inventories,
monitoring, and characterization);
(ii) environmental systems (including mechanisms,
processes, and effects); and
(iii) environmental sustainability (including
strategies, methods, and techniques);
(B) ensure that such research is disciplinary,
multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary, and organized
around priority environmental issues, including the human
dimensions associated with environmental problems;
(5) to establish a National Library for the Environment as a
universally accessible, easy to use, electronic,
state-of-the-art information system for scientists,
decisionmakers, and the public, which shall--
(A) link existing information networks and collections of
environmental information, such as libraries, specialized
information centers, data and statistical centers,
government and private sector repositories of information,
and individual experts;
(B) provide quality-assured data and information by
maintaining information about data sets, including who
generated the information, by what methods they were
collected, and whether the methods and information were
peer-reviewed;
(C) conduct targeted information programs by developing
products and packaging information, in various media that
are most accessible to specific groups or needs; and
(D) provide long-term maintenance and management of the
Nation's environmental information resources, through the
promotion and development of policies and standards for
managing and providing access to environmental data and
information; and
(6) to sponsor education and training of environmental
scientists and professionals and to improve the public
environmental literacy, including by establishing a Directorate
of Education and Training with duties to--
(A) award competitive scholarships, traineeships,
fellowships, and other arrangements at universities,
colleges, and other institutions for study and research in
disciplinary and interdisciplinary environmental sciences,
and for improving environmental literacy;
(B) support curriculum and program development, along
with teacher training programs, at colleges, universities,
and public institutions;
(C) actively involve women, minorities, members of other
underrepresented groups, and affected communities; and
(D) sponsor public environmental education programs,
including using the National Library for the Environment
and other means to disseminate knowledge about the
environment.
SEC. 6. BOARD OF GOVERNORS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT- There shall be a Board of Governors for the
Institute which shall establish goals, priorities, and policies of
the Institute and serve in the national interest.
(b) MEMBERSHIP-
(1) APPOINTMENT- The Board shall be composed of 18 members
who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate.
(2) REPRESENTATION- The members of the Board shall be
comprised of approximately equal numbers of non-Federal
scientists and users of scientific information on the
environment, and shall include individuals--
(A) who as scientists, users of scientific information,
or those who are affected by environmental issues, are
individuals from diverse groups, including State, tribal,
and local governments, business, environmental and citizens
groups, academia, other organizations, and the public;
(B) have an established record of distinguished service
and expertise in their fields; and
(C) who among the scientists represent the diversity of
fields that study the environmental.
(c) SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS- In making appointments under this
section, the President shall seek to provide for representation on
the Board of women, minority groups, and individuals recommended by
the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of
Engineering, and other groups.
(d) TERMS- Members of the Board shall serve the following terms:
(1) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in paragraph (2), a member
of the Board shall serve for a 6-year term.
(2) INITIAL TERMS- Of the initial members of the Board, as
specified by the President at the time of appointment--
(A) 6 members shall serve an initial term of 2 years;
(B) 6 members shall serve an initial term of 4 years; and
(C) 6 members shall serve an initial term of 6 years.
(3) SUBSEQUENT TERMS- An individual may not serve as a member
of the Board for more than 2 consecutive 6-year terms.
(e) MEETINGS- Meetings of the Board may be called by the Chair or
a majority of its members at any time, and should occur no less
than 4 times a year.
(f) CHAIR- The Chair of the Board shall be elected by the Board
from among its members.
(g) REPORTS- On January 31 following completion of appointment of
the members of the Board, and every 2 years thereafter, the Board
shall report on the work, findings, and accomplishments of the
Institute, including an indication of likely priorities of the
Institute for the 2-year period following. Reports of findings on
specific environmental matters may be issued by the Board at any
time, including periodic evaluation of the conditions and trends of
the environment. Reports of the Board shall be transmitted to the
President, the Congress, and Federal agencies in a timely fashion
and shall be available to the general public.
(h) ADVISORY COMMITTEES- The Board may establish such advisory
committees as the Board considers necessary. The Board shall
consult with the Interagency Advisory Committee established by
section 9 and advisory committees established under this
subsection, to ensure coordination and to avoid duplication.
(i) TRAVEL EXPENSES- Each member of the Board who is not an
officer or employee of the United States may receive travel
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same
manner as travel expenses are allowed under section 5703 of title
5, United States Code, for persons serving intermittently in the
Government service.
(j) PROHIBITION OF COMPENSATION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES- Members of
the Board who are full-time officers or employees of the United
States or Members of Congress may not receive additional pay,
allowances, or benefits by reason of service on the Board.
SEC. 7. STAFF.
(a) DIRECTOR-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Institute shall be administered by a
Director, who shall be appointed by the President by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate. In appointing the
Director, the President--
(A) shall solicit nominations from the Board and
established scientific organizations; and
(B) shall appoint an individual who has an established
record of distinguished service and expertise in the
environmental sciences.
(2) AUTHORITY- The Director shall exercise all authority
granted to the Institute in this Act, including powers
delegated by the Board, and all actions of the Director shall
be final and binding on the Institute.
(3) DUTIES- The Director shall be responsible for the
integration of the duties and functions of the Institute as
described in section 5, and for ensuring the full involvement
of all relevant environmental sciences and the full range of
users in these duties.
(4) PAY; TERM OF OFFICE- The Director shall receive basic pay
at a rate not to exceed the rate provided for level II of the
Executive Schedule under section 5313 of title 5, United States
Code, and shall serve for a term of 6 years.
(5) MEMBER OF COUNCIL- The Director shall be a member on the
National Science and Technology Council.
(6) EX-OFFICIO MEMBER OF BOARD- The Director shall be a
nonvoting, ex-officio member of the Board.
(b) ASSISTANT DIRECTORS- The Director shall appoint, in
consultation with the Board, Assistant Directors for the Center for
Environmental Assessment, the Directorate of Research, the National
Library for the Environment, and the Directorate of Education and
Training to carry out the duties and functions of the Institute and
to ensure that all functions of the Institute are properly
integrated.
SEC. 8. INTERAGENCY COOPERATION.
(a) ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION FROM OTHER AGENCIES- The Institute
may acquire from the head of any Federal agency unclassified data
and nonproprietary knowledge and information obtained and possessed
by other Federal agencies which the Institute considers useful in
the discharge of its duties. The head of each Federal agency shall
cooperate with the Institute to furnish all information required by
the Director that is requested by the Institute.
(b) ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PRODUCTS OF INSTITUTE- The
Institute shall cooperate with all Federal agencies to ensure that
the information and products of the Institute are useful and
accessible to all agencies.
SEC. 9. INTERAGENCY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT- There is hereby established an Interagency
Advisory Committee to ensure that the environmental efforts of the
Institute and other Federal agencies are complementary.
(b) DUTIES- The Interagency Advisory Committee shall provide
recommendations and advice to the Board to help ensure that--
(1) the Institute's priorities incorporate the needs and
activities of other agencies;
(2) the activities of the Institute support and complement
and do not duplicate the existing programs of the agencies; and
(3) other Federal agencies are informed of the scientific
findings of the Institute.
(c) COMPOSITION- The Interagency Advisory Committee shall consist
of the heads (or their designees of other Federal agencies,
including the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institutes of Health,
the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the
Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the
Department of Agriculture, the Department of Transportation, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science
and Technology Council, the Council on Environmental Quality, and
the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(d) CHAIR- The Interagency Advisory Committee shall elect a
Chair, who shall be a nonvoting, ex officio member of the Board.
SEC. 10. GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND OTHER AUTHORITIES.
(a) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE- To carry out the
duties of the Institute under this Act, the Institute, subject to
the availability of appropriations, may enter into various
financial arrangements, including competitively awarded grants,
loans, cooperative agreements, and contracts to institutions,
teams, and centers, after rigorous peer review.
(b) PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE FUNDING- Scientists, engineers,
and other researchers are eligible to receive funding from the
Institute under subsection (a), except that--
(1) scientists from Federal agencies shall not be given a
preference for funding based on their employment with the
Federal Government; and
(2) the receipt of funding from the Institute shall be
subject to any criteria and other requirements prescribed by
the Institute.
(c) RECEIPT OF FUNDING FROM OTHER PERSONS-
(1) RECEIPT- To carry out particular projects and activities
under this Act the Institute may, subject to the approval of
the Board--
(A) receive funds from other Federal agencies; and
(B) accept, use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or
devises of services or property, both real and personal.
(2) USE- Funds received under this subsection shall be
deposited in the Treasury and shall be made available to the
Institute to the extent provided in appropriations Acts.
SEC. 11. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRANSFERS OF FUNCTIONS TO INSTITUTE.
(a) IN GENERAL- Not later than 12 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the President, in consultation with the
heads of other Federal departments and independent agencies in the
executive branch, shall--
(1) submit to the Congress recommendations regarding existing
Federal programs that are appropriate for transfer to the
Institute; and
(2) include with those recommendations any draft legislation
the enactment of which is necessary to accomplish those
transfers.
(b) IDENTIFICATION OF APPROPRIATE PROGRAMS- In implementing
subsection (a), the President shall consider a program to be
appropriate for transfer to the Institute if the program--
(1) is consistent with the mission of the Institute under
section 4;
(2) is non-regulatory;
(3) supports achievement of comprehensive, problem-focused,
anticipatory, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary science
programs; and
(4) supports achievement of extramural programs.
SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act:
(1) BOARD- The term `Board' means the Board of Governors of
the Institute, established by section 6.
(2) DECISIONMAKERS- The term `decision- makers' means elected
or appointed officials of Federal, State, tribal, and local
governments, and similar individuals in the private sector.
(3) ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES- The term `environmental sciences'
means the full range of fields of study, including biological,
physical, chemical, geological, and social sciences,
engineering, and humanities, relevant to the understanding of
environmental problems.
(4) INSTITUTE- The term `Institute' means the National
Institute for the Environment established by this Act.
(5) SCIENTIST- The term `scientist' means a practitioner of
science relevant to the environment.
Please send any comments or requests for information to AGI Government Affairs Program at govt@agiweb.org
Last updated July 15, 1996 by Heidi Mohlman, AGI Government Affairs intern
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