Sound Science for the Environment Act

Summary: Sound Science for the Environment Act - Establishes as an independent agency the National Institute for the Environment to:  (1) initiate, facilitate, and perform comprehensive assessments of the current state of knowledge of environmental issues and their implications; (2) establish a Center for Environmental Assessment; (3) award competitively grants and contracts for extramural scientific research; (4) establish a Directorate of Research and a universally accessible National Library for the Environment; and (5) sponsor education and training of environmental scientists and professionals and improve public environmental literacy. 
Establishes a Board of Governors for the Institute. 
Provides for interagency acquisition of information and establishes an Interagency Advisory Committee to ensure that the environmental efforts of the Institute and other Federal agencies are complementary. 
Makes scientists, engineers, and other researchers eligible to receive funding from the Institute. 
Requires the President to submit to the Congress recommendations regarding existing non-regulatory Federal programs that are appropriate for transfer to the Institute, together with legislation to effect such transfers.

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.
                                 
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