I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1781

To provide for the continuation of the operations of the California Urban

Environmental Research and Education Center.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 7, 1995

Mr. STARK (for himself, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. TORRES, Mr. WAXMAN,

Mr. FILNER, Mr. MINETA, Mr. MILLER of California, Ms. ESHOO, Ms.

WOOLSEY, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. MATSUI, Mr. HORN, Ms. PELOSI, and Mr.

DELLUMS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities, and in addition to

the Committee on Science, for a period to be subsequently determined by

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To provide for the continuation of the operations of the

California Urban Environmental Research and Education

Center.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

4 The Congress finds the following:

5 (1) California’s rapid population growth and

6 the lack of understanding about the environmental

7 impacts of this growth have caused a number of se-
2

•HR 1781 IH

1 rious present and potential barriers to future eco2 nomic development of California.

3 (2) California has great environmental complex4 ity and diversity and a great variety of human inter5 ventions in its ecosystem.

6 (3) Future environmental policies for California

7 must be informed by careful cost-benefit analysis

8 that considers the serious risks, and the benefits, of

9 environmental policy.

10 (4) The California Urban Environmental Re11 search and Education Center promotes coordination

12 of and collaboration on environmentally sound eco13 nomic development in California and ensures that

14 continued sustainable economic development can

15 occur.

16 (5) Due to the closing of many military facili17 ties and installations in California, such Center can

18 provide important assistance to the process of con19 verting defense resources to non-defense uses.

20 (6) The Center is in a position to develop model

21 incentives and remove market barriers so as to moti22 vate greater private sector involvement and invest23 ment in the solution of environmental problems.
3

•HR 1781 IH

1 SEC. 2. CENTER.

2 (a) SUPPORT.—The Administrator of the Environ3 mental Protection Agency shall continue to support the

4 development and expansion of the California Urban Envi5 ronmental Research and Education Center.

6 (b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—

7 (1) AUTHORITY.—If the California State Uni8 versity, Hayward consents and provides the match9 ing funds required by paragraph (2), the Adminis10 trator shall enter into a series of cooperative agree11 ments with the California State University, Hayward

12 to provide continuing support for the Center. The

13 California State University, Hayward shall work in

14 close cooperation with the other universities of the

15 California State University system (including the

16 California State Universities at Sacramento, San

17 Jose, San Francisco, and Sonoma) in the research

18 and policy analysis performed under any such coop19 erative agreement.

20 (2) MATCHING FUNDS.—In any cooperative

21 agreement described in paragraph (1), the California

22 State University, Hayward, shall guarantee match23 ing funds or in-kind resources equal to 20 percent

24 of the funds received by the Center from the Admin25 istrator. The Center and the California State Uni26 versity, Hayward shall, to the maximum extent prac-
4

•HR 1781 IH

1 ticable, solicit additional funds or in-kind contribu2 tions from State, local, and private sector sources to

3 increase the ability of the Center to conduct applied

4 research and education projects under this Act.

5 (3) MEMBERSHIP.—A university in the Califor6 nia State University system or a university in Cali7 fornia which is not a university in the California

8 State University system may become a member of

9 the Center under such guidelines and conditions as

10 are reasonable and mutually agreeable to the Center

11 and the university.

12 (c) GOVERNING BOARD.—

13 (1) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—For the two-year

14 period beginning on the date of the establishment of

15 the Center, the Center shall have a Governing Board

16 composed of the following:

17 (A) The Executive Director of the Center.

18 (B) One member appointed by the Presi19 dent of the California State University, Hay20 ward.

21 (C) One member appointed by the Presi22 dent of the California State University, Sac23 ramento.
5

•HR 1781 IH

1 (D) One member appointed by the Presi2 dent of the California State University, San

3 Jose.

4 (E) One member appointed by the Presi5 dent of the California State University, San

6 Francisco.

7 (F) One member appointed by the Presi8 dent of the California State University,

9 Sonoma.

10 (2) SUBSEQUENT APPOINTMENTS.—After the

11 two-year period referred to in paragraph (1), the

12 composition of the Governing Board shall be deter13 mined by the sitting members of the Governing

14 Board, in consultation with the Presidents of each

15 university of the California State University system,

16 except as provided in subsection (d)(1).

17 (3) CHAIR.—The Executive Director shall serve

18 as chair of the Governing Board for the first five

19 years after the establishment of the Center. Subse20 quently, the Governing Board shall elect a chair

21 from among its members.

22 (4) DUTIES.—It shall be the duty of the Gov23 erning Board—

24 (A) to establish criteria for membership in

25 the Center;
6

•HR 1781 IH

1 (B) to establish criteria and requirements

2 for the contribution of matching funds or in

3 kind contributions by member universities and

4 those applying for membership in the Center;

5 (C) to establish guidelines for fair rep6 resentation on the Governing Board of univer7 sities that are not universities of the California

8 State University system;

9 (D) to establish how scholarships, fellow10 ships, and grants will be awarded by the Cen11 ter;

12 (E) to advise the Executive Director of the

13 Center on matters pertaining to the manage14 ment of the Center’s internal projects and ad15 ministration, with respect to the management of

16 grants; and

17 (F) to perform such other duties, with re18 spect to the management of grants, as the Gov19 erning Board considers necessary to carry out

20 the functions of the Center under this Act.

21 (d) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; STAFF.—

22 (1) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Center shall

23 have an Executive Director who shall be appointed

24 for a five-year term. The President of the California

25 State University, Hayward shall make the initial ap-
7

•HR 1781 IH

1 pointment of an Executive Director for a five-year

2 term beginning on the date of the establishment of

3 the Center, and shall make an appointment for the

4 second five-year term. The Governing Board shall

5 appoint each Executive Director appointed after the

6 initial two appointments.

7 (2) BUDGET.—The Executive Director shall an8 nually submit to the Governing Board a budget

9 which includes projected staff requirements and

10 other projected expenses. The Governing Board shall

11 review and advise on the budget each year.

12 (e) PRINCIPAL OFFICE.—(1) The principal office of

13 the Center shall be located in northern California.

14 (2) Before the end of the two-year period beginning

15 on the date of the establishment of the Center, the Gov16 erning Board shall consider the establishment of a second

17 office and conference facility to be located in southern

18 California, convenient to member universities.

19 SEC. 3. FUNCTIONS.

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The overall objective of the Center

21 shall be to promote and foster sustainable economic devel22 opment throughout the State of California, using the re23 sources and skills of its universities and colleges whenever

24 possible. The Center shall achieve such objective by engag25 ing in the following functions:
8

•HR 1781 IH

1 (1) To develop an ongoing program of applied

2 environmental research, education, and outreach

3 that can be used by the Federal Government, State

4 and local governments, and the private sector to en5 sure that future government policies to encourage

6 economic development in California are grounded on

7 sound, sustainable environmental and economic prin8 ciples.

9 (2) To foster public-private partnerships to find

10 solutions to the environmental problems of Califor11 nia and ways of removing market barriers to private

12 sector development.

13 (3) To bring together researchers from the

14 member universities and colleges of the Center to

15 focus on the most important environmental problems

16 of California related to sustainable economic devel17 opment, with the aim of analysis and synthesis of

18 policy implications and dissemination of policy ori19 ented research findings to managers in the public

20 and private sectors.

21 (4) To support the following activities:

22 (A) The coordination and funding of re23 search activities of universities for collaborative

24 collection and evaluation of data on California’s

25 geology, hydrology, soils, biology, weather and
9

•HR 1781 IH

1 climate, natural hazards, demography, infra2 structure, resource use, land-use patterns, land3 ownership patterns, business development, envi4 ronmental equity, and regulatory zones.

5 (B) The analysis of public policy implica6 tions of economic development programs that

7 affect the ecology of California.

8 (C) The conduct of seminars and other

9 educational programs for policy makers in the

10 Federal Government, State and local govern11 ments, and the private sector on the implica12 tions of the findings and conclusions derived

13 from the Center’s activities. The Center shall

14 use electronic technology, such as computer net15 works and video conferencing, to convey the cu16 mulative findings and conclusions derived from

17 the Center’s activities and to foster an exchange

18 of ideas.

19 (D) The conduct, not more than once each

20 year, of a national conference on ecology and

21 sustainable economic development for business

22 and labor leaders to foster an exchange of ideas

23 and information.

24 (E) The provision of ready access to the

25 Center’s collective expertise for policy makers in
10

•HR 1781 IH

1 the Federal Government and State and local

2 governments, and for representatives of private3 and public-sector organizations, through meet4 ings, publications, special reports, video, elec5 tronic mail, computer networks, and other

6 means to share up-to-date information on re7 search findings and policy development for sus8 tainable economic development.

9 (F) The minimization of duplication and

10 waste in applied research and demonstration

11 programs within the areas of the Center’s ex12 pertise.

13 (G) The development of educational pro14 grams, curricula, and instructional materials for

15 colleges, universities, and other educational in16 stitutions to impart the knowledge and skills re17 quired to implement environmentally sustain18 able economic development, for the purpose of

19 equipping students for jobs in the public and

20 private sectors.

21 (H) The development of bachelors and

22 masters degree programs for individuals who

23 have lost or may lose employment as a result of

24 cutbacks in defense spending to prepare such

25 individuals for employment as environmental
11

•HR 1781 IH

1 professionals, and the development of certifi2 cation programs in environmental sciences and

3 studies for such individuals.

4 (I) The preparation of minority students

5 for environmental professions, including the de6 velopment of an enriched curriculum in the en7 vironmental sciences at the baccalaureate and

8 post-graduate levels for underrepresented mi9 nority students to prepare such students for ca10 reers in various environmental areas, such as

11 environmental health and the clean-up of mili12 tary installations and facilities.

13 (J) The development and administration of

14 a repository of information on key environ15 mental and related economic development issues

16 that can be readily accessed by private- and

17 public-sector entities, including imposition, if

18 necessary, of a fee for users of the repository to

19 cover the cost of its operation.

20 (5) To work closely with other university re21 search centers for which funds have been provided

22 by the Environmental Protection Agency to help es23 tablish a National Environmental Outreach Program

24 to assist the Federal Government, State and local

25 governments, and the private sector in programs and
12

•HR 1781 IH

1 projects designed to promote environmentally sound

2 economic development.

3 (6) To work closely with Federally-funded re4 search centers, such as the Lawrence-Livermore Na5 tional Research Laboratory, to foster the transfer

6 and application of environmental technology to the

7 private sector.

8 (7) To help incubate or expand small, environ9 mentally related businesses where market barriers

10 exist to such incubation or expansion.

11 (8) To assist small businesses in meeting envi12 ronmental regulations by providing short courses

13 and conferences and to develop methods and models

14 by which small businesses may finance ‘‘green’’ in15 vestment where private-sector funds are otherwise

16 not generally available.

17 (9) To work closely, as requested, with public18 sector officials, private-sector businesses, and indi19 viduals seeking alternative uses for military installa20 tions and facilities that have been or are about to be

21 closed to assist in planning the environmental as22 pects of the conversion and clean-up of the installa23 tions and facilities, and to help with the economic

24 development aspects of the closing of the installa25 tions and facilities.
13

•HR 1781 IH

1 (10) During its first year, to develop a plan, in

2 conjunction with other universities to extend the ac3 tivities of the Center throughout the State within 3

4 years. The plan shall pay particular attention to the

5 need for environmentally sound conversion and eco6 nomic use of military installations and facilities

7 throughout the State.

8 (b) SCHOLARSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND GRANTS.—

9 (1) SCHOLARSHIPS.—The Center may provide

10 for the award of undergraduate scholarships for in11 dividuals studying in environmental fields at univer12 sities that are members of the Center. Individuals

13 who have lost or may lose employment as a result

14 of the closing of a military installation or facility in

15 the State of California shall have preference over

16 other individuals in the award of scholarships under

17 this paragraph.

18 (2) FELLOWSHIPS.—The Center may provide

19 for the award of graduate assistantships and fellow20 ships at the Center to encourage study in fields re21 lated to sustainable economic development. Pref22 erence shall be given to those who have been or are

23 about to be laid off as a result of military base clos24 ings in California.
14

•HR 1781 IH

1 (3) RESEARCH GRANTS.—The Center may

2 award research grants to faculty at universities and

3 colleges, both public and private, to encourage re4 search critical to the achievement of the functions

5 described in subsection (a).

6 SEC. 4. REPORT.

7 The Center shall annually submit to the Adminis8 trator a report on the activities of the Center and on any

9 changing budget needs. The Center shall include in the

10 first report submitted under this subsection a statement

11 of any additional funds that may be required to extend

12 the activities of the Center throughout the State.

13 SEC. 5. GIFTS AND DONATIONS.

14 The Center may receive funds and other property do15 nated, bequeathed, or devised to the Center with or with16 out a condition of restriction, for the purpose of furthering

17 the activities of the Center. All funds donated, bequeathed,

18 or devised to the Center shall be retained in a separate

19 account. Each annual report submitted pursuant to sec20 tion 4 shall include an accounting of the funds and prop21 erty donated, bequeathed, or devised to the Center during

22 the year covered by the annual report.

23 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

24 For purposes of this Act:
15

•HR 1781 IH

1 (1) The term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad2 ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

3 (2) The term ‘‘Center’’ means the California

4 Urban Environmental Research and Education Cen5 ter established pursuant to section 2.

6 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro8 priated to the Administrator for provision to the Center

9 to carry out this Act $4,500,000 for fiscal year 1996 and

10 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years

11 1997 through 2000.

12 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Funds appropriated pursuant to

13 the authority of subsection (a) shall remain available until

14 expended.

15 (c) MATCHING FUNDS.—In addition to amounts pro16 vided as described in section 2(b)(2), the Center shall

17 make a good faith effort to match the amount of funds

18 appropriated pursuant to this section with funding from

19 State and local governments and the private sector.

Æ