I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6194 

To amend the National Environmental Education Act to update, streamline, 

and modernize that Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 

Mr. POLIS of Colorado (for himself and Mr. CASTLE) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To amend the National Environmental Education Act to 

update, streamline, and modernize that Act, and for 

other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Environ5 mental Education Reauthorization Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND POLICY. 

7 Section 2 of the National Environmental Education 

8 Act (20 U.S.C. 5501) is amended to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND POLICY. 

10 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 


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1 ‘‘(1) threats to human health and environ2 mental quality are increasingly complex, involving a 

3 wide range of conventional and toxic contaminants 

4 in the air and water and on the land; 

5 ‘‘(2) there is growing evidence of international 

6 environmental problems, such as global warming, 

7 ocean pollution, and declines in species diversity, and 

8 that those problems pose serious threats to human 

9 health and the environment on a global scale; 

10 ‘‘(3) environmental problems represent as sig11 nificant a threat to the quality of life and the eco12 nomic vitality of urban areas as they do the natural 

13 balance of rural areas; 

14 ‘‘(4) to address increasingly serious problems 

15 associated with pollution and global climate change, 

16 it is necessary to accelerate deployment of low-car17 bon technologies and clean sources of energy; 

18 ‘‘(5) environmental education is a valuable tool 

19 to prepare people in the United States to compete 

20 globally in high-growth, environmentally friendly 

21 fields, such as— 

22 ‘‘(A) energy efficiency; 

23 ‘‘(B) green building design; 

24 ‘‘(C) commercial scale renewable energy; 

25 ‘‘(D) biofuels; 


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1 ‘‘(E) low-emission vehicles; 

2 ‘‘(F) energy-efficient manufacturing facili3 ties; and 

4 ‘‘(G) the production of environmentally 

5 friendly products; 

6 ‘‘(6) effective response to complex environ7 mental problems requires understanding of the nat8 ural and built environment, awareness of environ9 mental problems and the origins of those problems 

10 (including those in urban areas), and the skills to 

11 solve those problems; 

12 ‘‘(7) development of effective solutions to envi13 ronmental problems and effective implementation of 

14 environmental programs requires a well-educated 

15 and trained, professional work force; 

16 ‘‘(8) environmental education provides critical 

17 tools for that workforce by providing citizens with 

18 the skills to understand complex environmental 

19 issues so they may make informed decisions in their 

20 own lives and find solutions for real world challenges 

21 facing the United States as a whole; 

22 ‘‘(9) business leaders increasingly believe that 

23 an environmentally literate workforce is critical to 

24 the long-term success of businesses in the United 

25 States; 


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1 ‘‘(10) environmental education helps prepare 

2 students, citizens, professionals, and people from all 

3 walks of life to compete for green jobs and business 

4 in an increasingly competitive global economy; 

5 ‘‘(11) current Federal efforts to inform and 

6 educate the public concerning the natural and built 

7 environment and environmental problems are not 

8 adequate; 

9 ‘‘(12) existing Federal support for development 

10 and training of professionals in environmental fields 

11 is not sufficient; 

12 ‘‘(13) the Federal Government, acting through 

13 the Environmental Protection Agency, should work 

14 with local educational institutions, State education 

15 agencies, Indian tribes, tribal education agencies, 

16 not-for-profit educational and environmental organi17 zations, noncommercial educational broadcast, cable, 

18 and Internet entities, and private sector interests— 

19 ‘‘(A) to support development of curricula, 

20 special projects, and other activities; 

21 ‘‘(B) to increase understanding of the nat22 ural and built environment; and 

23 ‘‘(C) to improve awareness of environ24 mental problems; 


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1 ‘‘(14) the Federal Government, acting through 

2 the coordinated efforts of Federal agencies and with 

3 the Administrator, should work with local edu4 cational institutions, State education agencies, In5 dian tribes, tribal education agencies, not-for-profit 

6 educational and environmental organizations, non7 commercial educational broadcasting entities, and 

8 private sector interests to develop programs to pro9 vide increased emphasis and financial resources for 

10 the purposes of— 

11 ‘‘(A) attracting students into environ12 mental engineering careers; and 

13 ‘‘(B) assisting the students in pursuing the 

14 programs to complete the advanced technical 

15 education required to provide effective problem16 solving capabilities for complex environmental 

17 issues; 

18 ‘‘(15) Federal agencies, such as the Forest 

19 Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 

20 National Park Service, Bureau of Land Manage21 ment, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad22 ministration, have a wide range of environmental ex23 pertise and a long history of cooperation with edu24 cational institutions and technology transfer that 

25 can assist in furthering the purposes of this Act; 


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1 ‘‘(16) exposure to the natural environment is 

2 essential for healthy childhood development and for 

3 the physical and emotional health of children and 

4 adults; and 

5 ‘‘(17) the Federal Government, acting through 

6 the Administrator, should work with local edu7 cational institutions, State education agencies, In8 dian tribes, tribal education agencies, not-for-profit 

9 educational and environmental organizations, and 

10 private sector interests to support environmental 

11 education activities and special projects— 

12 ‘‘(A) to train, educate, and prepare citizens 

13 for careers in environmentally sustainable fields 

14 that promote the global transition to less pol15 luting, higher-efficiency technologies and prac16 tices; 

17 ‘‘(B) to increase understanding of the ben18 efits of exposure to the natural environment; 

19 ‘‘(C) to improve understanding of how 

20 human and natural systems interact together; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(D) to broaden awareness of environ23 mental issues. 

24 ‘‘(b) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States 

25 to establish and support a program of education on the 


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1 environment for students, personnel working with stu2 dents, and the general public, through activities in schools, 

3 institutions of higher education, related educational activi4 ties, the media, the public health and health care profes5 sional communities, and businesses, and to encourage 

6 postsecondary students to pursue careers relating to the 

7 environment.’’. 

8 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

9 Section 3 of the National Environmental Education 

10 Act (20 U.S.C. 5502) is amended to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

12 ‘‘In this Act: 

13 ‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Adminis14 trator’ means the Administrator of the Environ15 mental Protection Agency. 

16 ‘‘(2) ADVISORY COUNCIL.—The term ‘Advisory 

17 Council’ means the National Environmental Edu18 cation Advisory Council established by section 9(a). 

19 ‘‘(3) AGENCY.—The term ‘Agency’ means the 

20 Environmental Protection Agency. 

21 ‘‘(4) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.—The term ‘Board 

22 of Directors’ means the Board of Directors of the 

23 Foundation. 


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1 ‘‘(5) ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.—The term 

2 ‘environmental education’ means formal and non3 formal education— 

4 ‘‘(A) regarding the relevant interrelation5 ships between dynamic environmental and 

6 human systems, and which results in increasing 

7 the capacity of a student for decisionmaking 

8 and stewardship regarding natural and commu9 nity resources; 

10 ‘‘(B) that is specifically designed to foster 

11 awareness of the environment and associated 

12 problems; 

13 ‘‘(C) that conveys the knowledge and skills 

14 to equip the general public to work individually 

15 and collectively toward solutions to current en16 vironmental problems and the prevention of new 

17 environmental problems; and 

18 ‘‘(D) the primary societal goals of which 

19 include— 

20 ‘‘(i) measurable improvement in envi21 ronmental quality in a manner cal22 culated— 

23 ‘‘(I) to foster and promote the 

24 general welfare; 


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1 ‘‘(II) to create and maintain con2 ditions under which humans and na3 ture can exist in productive harmony; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(III) to meet the social, eco6 nomic, and other requirements of 

7 present and future generations of peo8 ple of the United States; 

9 ‘‘(ii) the provision to the public of op10 portunities to acquire the knowledge, un11 derstanding of science, and skills needed to 

12 protect and improve the environment; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) the encouragement of actions 

14 that reflect stewardship of the environment 

15 by individuals, groups, and society as a 

16 whole. 

17 ‘‘(6) ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING.—The 

18 term ‘environmental engineering’ means the dis19 cipline within engineering and science concerned 

20 with the development and application of scientific 

21 and technical solutions to protecting the aquatic and 

22 atmospheric environment, including all phases of 

23 water resources planning, water supply, water treat24 ment, air pollution characterization and control, re25 mediation of hazardous substances, environmental 


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1 transport of contaminants in surface and ground 

2 water and atmosphere, and methods for assessment 

3 and control of pollution. 

4 ‘‘(7) FEDERAL AGENCY; AGENCY OF THE

5 UNITED STATES.—The terms ‘Federal agency’ and 

6 ‘agency of the United States’ mean— 

7 ‘‘(A) any department, agency or other in8 strumentality of the Federal Government; and 

9 ‘‘(B) any independent agency or establish10 ment of the Federal Government (including a 

11 Government corporation). 

12 ‘‘(8) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘Foundation’ 

13 means the National Environmental Education Foun14 dation established by section 10. 

15 ‘‘(9) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ 

16 means— 

17 ‘‘(A) an Indian tribe (as defined in section 

18 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu19 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b)); or 

20 ‘‘(B) a tribal government or consortia with 

21 a mission or resolution or charter to address 

22 education or environmental issues. 

23 ‘‘(10) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘local edu25 cational agency’ has the meaning given the 


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1 term in section 9101 of the Elementary and 

2 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

3 7801). 

4 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘local edu5 cational agency’ includes a tribal educational 

6 agency. 

7 ‘‘(11) NONCOMMERCIAL EDUCATION BROAD8 CASTING ENTITIES.—The term ‘noncommercial edu9 cation broadcasting entities’ means any noncommer10 cial educational broadcasting station (including any 

11 legal nonprofit affiliate of such a station), as defined 

12 and licensed by the Federal Communications Com13 mission. 

14 ‘‘(12) NONFORMAL EDUCATION.—The term 

15 ‘nonformal education’ means any organized edu16 cational activity outside the established formal edu17 cational system, whether operating separately or as 

18 an important feature of some broader activity linked 

19 with community groups and other organizations. 

20 ‘‘(13) NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The 

21 term ‘not-for-profit organization’ means an organiza22 tion, association, or institution described in section 

23 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that 

24 is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that 

25 Code. 


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1 ‘‘(14) PROGRAM.—The term ‘program’ means 

2 the Environmental Education and Training Program 

3 established by section 5(a). 

4 ‘‘(15) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

5 means the Secretary of Education. 

6 ‘‘(16) TRIBAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The 

7 term ‘tribal education agency’ means a school or 

8 community college that is— 

9 ‘‘(A) controlled by an Indian tribe or Alas10 ka Native Village; and 

11 ‘‘(B) not administered by the Bureau of 

12 Indian Affairs.’’. 

13 SEC. 4. OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION. 

14 Section 4 of the National Environmental Education 

15 Act (20 U.S.C. 5503) is amended to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 4. OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION. 

17 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall es18 tablish within the Environmental Protection Agency an 

19 Office of Environmental Education. 

20 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Office of Environmental Edu21 cation shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) develop and support programs and related 

23 efforts, in consultation and coordination with other 

24 Federal agencies, to improve understanding of the 

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1 sure to the natural environment, and the relation2 ships between humans and the environment, includ3 ing the global aspects of environmental problems; 

4 ‘‘(2)(A) develop and support programs and re5 lated efforts that educate the general public on the 

6 benefits of reducing dependence on nonrenewable 

7 forms of energy, including— 

8 ‘‘(i) the benefits such a reduction may have 

9 on global climate change; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the benefits of energy conservation; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(B) promote efforts to prepare citizens for em13 ployment in environmentally friendly fields that con14 tribute to healthy communities; 

15 ‘‘(3) support development and the widest prac16 ticable dissemination of model curricula, educational 

17 materials, and training programs for elementary and 

18 secondary students and other interested groups, in19 cluding senior citizens in the United States; 

20 ‘‘(4) develop and disseminate, in cooperation 

21 with other Federal agencies, not-for-profit edu22 cational and environmental organizations, State 

23 agencies, Indian tribes, tribal education agencies, 

24 and noncommercial educational broadcast, cable, and 


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1 Internet entities, environmental education publica2 tions, and audio/visual and other media materials; 

3 ‘‘(5) develop and support environmental edu4 cation seminars, training programs, teleconferences, 

5 and workshops for environmental education profes6 sionals, as provided for in section 5; 

7 ‘‘(6) manage Federal grant assistance provided 

8 to local educational agencies, institutions of higher 

9 education, other not-for-profit organizations, and 

10 electronic education outreach entities, including 

11 broadcast, cable, and Internet entities, under sec12 tions 5 and 6; 

13 ‘‘(7) ensure the operation of the environmental 

14 education and training program under section 5; 

15 ‘‘(8) promote research, development, and eval16 uation of effective approaches to achieving an envi17 ronmentally literate population, as well as an im18 proved environment; 

19 ‘‘(9) administer the environmental fellowship 

20 programs provided for in section 7; 

21 ‘‘(10) administer the environmental awards pro22 gram provided for in section 8; 

23 ‘‘(11) provide staff support to the Advisory 

24 Council provided for in section 9; 


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1 ‘‘(12) assess, in coordination with other Federal 

2 agencies, the demand for professional skills and 

3 training needed to respond to current and antici4 pated environmental problems and cooperate with 

5 appropriate institutions, organizations, and agencies 

6 to develop training programs, curricula, and con7 tinuing education programs for teachers, school ad8 ministrators, and other professionals; 

9 ‘‘(13) ensure the coordination of Federal stat10 utes and programs administered by the Agency re11 lating to environmental education, consistent with 

12 the provisions and purposes of those programs, and 

13 work to reduce duplication or inconsistencies within 

14 those programs; 

15 ‘‘(14) work with the Department of Education, 

16 the Federal Interagency Committee on Education, 

17 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra18 tion, and other Federal agencies to ensure the effec19 tive coordination of programs relating to environ20 mental education, including environmental education 

21 programs to encourage outdoor recreation relating to 

22 national, State, and local parks, national forests, na23 tional marine sanctuaries, and wildlife refuges; 

24 ‘‘(15) provide information on environmental 

25 education and training programs to local educational 


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1 agencies, State education and natural resource agen2 cies, Indian tribes, tribal education agencies, and 

3 others; and 

4 ‘‘(16) otherwise provide for the implementation 

5 of this Act. 

6 ‘‘(c) DIRECTOR.—The Office of Environmental Edu7 cation shall— 

8 ‘‘(1) be directed by a Director, who shall be a 

9 member of the Senior Executive Service; 

10 ‘‘(2) include a headquarters staff of not less 

11 than 6 full-time equivalent employees; and 

12 ‘‘(3) be supported by at least 1 full-time equiva13 lent employee in each Agency regional office.’’. 

14 SEC. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING PRO15 GRAM. 

16 Section 5 of the National Environmental Education 

17 Act (20 U.S.C. 5504) is amended to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING PRO19 GRAM. 

20 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an En21 vironmental Education and Training Program, the pur22 pose of which shall be to train education professionals in 

23 the development and delivery of environmental education 

24 and training programs and studies. 


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1 ‘‘(b) FUNCTION AND ACTIVITIES.—The functions 

2 and activities of the program shall include, at a min3 imum— 

4 ‘‘(1) classroom and online training in environ5 mental education and studies, including environ6 mental sciences and theory, educational methods and 

7 practices, environmental career or occupational edu8 cation, and topical environmental issues and prob9 lems; 

10 ‘‘(2) demonstration of the design and conduct 

11 of environmental field studies and assessments; 

12 ‘‘(3) development and dissemination of environ13 mental education programs and curriculum, includ14 ing programs and curriculum to meet the needs of 

15 diverse ethnic and cultural groups; 

16 ‘‘(4) sponsorship and management of inter17 national exchanges of teachers and other educational 

18 professionals between the United States, Canada, 

19 and Mexico involved in environmental programs and 

20 issues; 

21 ‘‘(5) maintenance or support of an electronic li22 brary of environmental education materials, informa23 tion, literature, and technologies, with electronic as 

24 well as hard copy accessibility; 


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1 ‘‘(6) review, evaluation, and dissemination of 

2 environmental education materials, training meth3 ods, and related programs; 

4 ‘‘(7) sponsorship of conferences, seminars, and 

5 related forums for the advancement and development 

6 of environmental education and training curricula 

7 and materials, including international conferences, 

8 seminars, and forums; 

9 ‘‘(8) support of effective partnerships and net10 works, as well as other education and environmental 

11 organizations, and the use of distant learning tech12 nologies with such entities, to leverage resources for 

13 the delivery of environmental education; 

14 ‘‘(9) provision of assistance to college and uni15 versity faculty to incorporate environmental edu16 cation in the training provided to future and current 

17 teachers and to educators working in informal set18 tings; 

19 ‘‘(10) development and implementation of an 

20 environmental education teacher’s resource and cur21 riculum review program; 

22 ‘‘(11) support of the development and imple23 mentation of a professional certification program for 

24 environmental educators; 


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1 ‘‘(12) support of the integration of environ2 mental education into kindergarten through 12th 

3 grade teacher pre-service training; and 

4 ‘‘(13) such other activities as the Administrator 

5 determines to be consistent with the policies of this 

6 Act, with particular emphasis on developing environ7 mental education programs, workshops, and training 

8 tools that are portable and can be broadly dissemi9 nated. 

10 ‘‘(c) GRANTS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 

12 provide grants to institutions of higher education or 

13 other institutions that are not-for-profit institutions 

14 (or consortia of such institutions) to operate the pro15 gram required by this section. 

16 ‘‘(2) TERM OF GRANT.—A grant provided to an 

17 institution of higher education or consortia under 

18 paragraph (1) shall have a multiyear term, as deter19 mined by the Administrator. 

20 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION.—Any institution of higher 

21 education or other institution (or consortia of such 

22 institutions) that is a not-for-profit organization and 

23 is interested in receiving a grant under this section 

24 may submit to the Administrator an application in 


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1 such form and containing such information as the 

2 Administrator may require. 

3 ‘‘(4) CRITERIA FOR PROVISION OF GRANTS.— 

4 The Administrator shall provide grants under this 

5 section on the basis of, with respect to the institu6 tion or consortia under consideration— 

7 ‘‘(A) the capability to develop environ8 mental education and training programs; 

9 ‘‘(B) the capability to deliver training to a 

10 range of participants and in a range of settings; 

11 ‘‘(C) the expertise of the staff in a range 

12 of appropriate disciplines; 

13 ‘‘(D) the relative economic effectiveness of 

14 the program in terms of the ratio of overhead 

15 costs to direct services; 

16 ‘‘(E) the capability to make effective use of 

17 existing national environmental education re18 sources and programs; 

19 ‘‘(F) the results of any evaluation under 

20 paragraph (6); and 

21 ‘‘(G) such other factors as the Adminis22 trator determines to be appropriate. 

23 ‘‘(5) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—No 

24 funds made available to carry out this section shall 

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1 ing buildings) or the construction or substantial 

2 modification of any building. 

3 ‘‘(6) REVIEW, EVALUATION, AND TERMI4 NATION.—The Administrator shall establish proce5 dures for— 

6 ‘‘(A) a careful and detailed review and 

7 evaluation of the program to determine whether 

8 the quality of the program being operated by 

9 the grantee warrants continued support under 

10 this section; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the termination of a grant to operate 

12 the program if the Administrator determines 

13 that the quality of the program does not war14 rant continued support. 

15 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION.—Individuals 

16 eligible for participation in the program are— 

17 ‘‘(1) teachers, faculty, administrators, and re18 lated support staff associated with local educational 

19 agencies, colleges, and universities; 

20 ‘‘(2) employees of State education, environ21 mental protection, and natural resource depart22 ments; 

23 ‘‘(3) employees of Indian tribes, tribal edu24 cation agencies, and tribal environment and natural 

25 resource departments; and 


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1 ‘‘(4) employees of not-for-profit organizations 

2 involved in environmental education activities and 

3 issues.’’. 

4 SEC. 6. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANTS. 

5 Section 6 of the National Environmental Education 

6 Act (20 U.S.C. 5505) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 6. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANTS. 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may enter 

9 into a cooperative agreement or contract, or provide finan10 cial assistance in the form of a grant, to support projects 

11 to design, demonstrate, or disseminate practices, methods, 

12 or techniques relating to environmental education and 

13 training. 

14 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—Activities eligible for 

15 grant support pursuant to this section shall include— 

16 ‘‘(1) environmental education and training pro17 grams for— 

18 ‘‘(A) design, demonstration, or dissemina19 tion of environmental curricula, including devel20 opment of educational tools and materials; 

21 ‘‘(B) design and demonstration of field 

22 methods, practices, and techniques, including 

23 assessment of environmental and ecological con24 ditions and analysis of environmental pollution 

25 problems; 


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1 ‘‘(C) projects to understand and assess a 

2 specific environmental issue or a specific envi3 ronmental problem; 

4 ‘‘(D) provision of training or related edu5 cation for teachers, faculty, or related personnel 

6 in a specific geographical area or region; and 

7 ‘‘(E) design and demonstration of projects 

8 to foster international cooperation in addressing 

9 environmental issues and problems involving the 

10 United States and Canada or Mexico; and 

11 ‘‘(2) projects that— 

12 ‘‘(A) support environmental education re13 search, including through— 

14 ‘‘(i) the provision of assistance to 

15 Federal, State, tribal, and local officials 

16 and not-for-profit entities in applying the 

17 results of environmental education re18 search; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) the development of improved 

20 methods and tools with wide applicability 

21 to evaluate, rate, and assess the effective22 ness of environmental education; 

23 ‘‘(B) develop broad awareness about the 

24 need of people in the United States for environ25 mental education by engaging businesses and 


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1 business associations, health care providers and 

2 related associations, and other sectors to en3 courage the application of environmental edu4 cation practices and knowledge; 

5 ‘‘(C) disseminate environmental education 

6 resources to formal and nonformal education 

7 organizations; 

8 ‘‘(D) provide training or related profes9 sional development for formal and nonformal 

10 environmental educators or related personnel; 

11 ‘‘(E) design, demonstrate, or disseminate 

12 environmental curricula and encourage the 

13 adoption of the curricula by educational institu14 tions, including development of environmental 

15 education tools and materials; 

16 ‘‘(F) encourage the integration of environ17 mental education into science, technology, engi18 neering and math education, after-school edu19 cation, graduation, and promotion require20 ments, service learning, and civic education; 

21 ‘‘(G) design and demonstrate innovative 

22 field methods, practices, and techniques that 

23 advance environmental education; 

24 ‘‘(H) promote the study and use of how 

25 human and natural systems interact together to 


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1 address domestic and international environ2 mental problems; 

3 ‘‘(I) promote understanding of the impacts 

4 of large segments of society spending increasing 

5 amounts of time indoors and assess the value of 

6 exposure to the natural environment on physical 

7 and mental health; 

8 ‘‘(J) improve understanding and assess9 ment of a specific environmental issue or a spe10 cific environmental problem; 

11 ‘‘(K) promote the implementation of com12 prehensive green school initiatives that seek to 

13 produce environmentally literate students 

14 while— 

15 ‘‘(i) minimizing or eliminating the en16 vironmental footprint of a school; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) using the built and natural envi18 ronments as a learning laboratory and a 

19 model of best practice for the local commu20 nity; 

21 ‘‘(L) foster international cooperation in ad22 dressing environmental issues and problems in23 volving the United States and Canada or Mex24 ico; 


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1 ‘‘(M) encourage new, leveraged public or 

2 private funding for environmental education; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(N) support a professional network of en5 vironmental education researchers. 

6 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In providing grants pursuant to this 

7 section, the Administrator shall give priority to those pro8 posed projects that will develop— 

9 ‘‘(1) a new, innovative, or significantly im10 proved environmental education practice, method, or 

11 technique that is likely to result in increased envi12 ronmental literacy or educate and train citizens in 

13 fields that promote the sustainability of natural re14 sources; 

15 ‘‘(2) an environmental education practice, meth16 od, or technique that— 

17 ‘‘(A) may have wide application; 

18 ‘‘(B) can be easily replicated; and 

19 ‘‘(C) can improve the systems for delivery 

20 of effective environmental education at the na21 tional, regional, and local levels; 

22 ‘‘(3) adequate capacity within organizations for 

23 the education of citizens and the use of multidisci24 plinary approaches with respect to environmental 

25 issues; 


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1 ‘‘(4) an environmental education practice, meth2 od, or technique that— 

3 ‘‘(A) addresses an environmental issue 

4 through field-based, quantitative, qualitative, or 

5 mixed methodological research; 

6 ‘‘(B) has applicability at the community 

7 level; and 

8 ‘‘(C) encourages service learning through 

9 volunteerism; 

10 ‘‘(5) effective national, regional, State, and trib11 al environmental education-related organizations, 

12 consortia, and alliances to educate citizens regarding 

13 how their actions, individually and collectively, affect 

14 environmental quality; 

15 ‘‘(6) collaboration, including sharing of re16 sources and expertise, among environmental edu17 cation organizations and across sectors; or 

18 ‘‘(7) an environmental education practice, meth19 od, or technique that addresses an environmental 

20 issue which, in the judgment of the Administrator, 

21 is of a high priority. 

22 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—Any local, State, or 

23 tribal agency, college or university, not-for-profit organiza24 tion, or noncommercial educational broadcasting entity 


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1 may submit an application to the Administrator in re2 sponse to a solicitation published under paragraph (1). 

3 ‘‘(e) PERFORMANCE OF PROJECT.—Each project cov4 ered by an application approved under this section shall 

5 be performed by the applicant, or by a person satisfactory 

6 to the applicant and the Administrator. 

7 ‘‘(f) COST-SHARING.— 

8 ‘‘(1) FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL SHARES.— 

9 Except as provided in paragraph (2)— 

10 ‘‘(A) the Federal share of the cost of a 

11 project funded by a grant provided under this 

12 section shall not exceed 75 percent of the total 

13 cost of the project; and 

14 ‘‘(B) the non-Federal share of the cost of 

15 a project described in subparagraph (A) may be 

16 provided in the form of in-kind contributions 

17 and other noncash support. 

18 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—In a case in which the Ad19 ministrator determines that a proposed project mer20 its support and cannot be undertaken without a 

21 higher rate of Federal support, the Administrator 

22 may approve a grant under this section with a 

23 matching requirement other than that specified in 

24 this subsection, including a Federal share of up to 

25 100 percent. 


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1 ‘‘(g) MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—A grant provided 

2 under this section shall not exceed $500,000.’’. 

3 SEC. 7. ENVIRONMENTAL FELLOWSHIPS. 

4 Section 7 of the National Environmental Education 

5 Act (20 U.S.C. 5506) is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 7. ENVIRONMENTAL FELLOWSHIPS. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may enter 

8 into a cooperative agreement or provide financial assist9 ance in the form of a grant to establish a program to pro10 vide for fellowships to postsecondary-level students. 

11 ‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of a fellowship pro12 vided pursuant to this section shall be to provide students 

13 with an opportunity to train with professional staff of the 

14 Environmental Protection Agency and nongovernmental 

15 organizations involved in environmental issues to gain an 

16 understanding and appreciation of issues addressed by, 

17 and the skills and abilities possessed by, those staff. 

18 ‘‘(c) MANAGEMENT.—The fellowship program shall 

19 be managed by the Office of Environmental Education. 

20 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—Individuals eligible 

21 for participation in the fellowship program shall be stu22 dents enrolled at accredited colleges or universities who 

23 have successfully completed not less than 4 courses (or 

24 the equivalent) in environmental sciences or related stud25 ies, as determined by the Administrator.’’. 


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1 SEC. 8. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AWARDS. 

2 Section 8 of the National Environmental Education 

3 Act (20 U.S.C. 5507) is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 8. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AWARDS. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall provide 

6 for national awards recognizing outstanding contributions 

7 to environmental education. 

8 ‘‘(b) SPECIFIC AWARDS.—In carrying out this sec9 tion, the Administrator may develop and administer 

10 awards to be known as the ‘President’s Environmental 

11 Youth Awards’, to be given to children in grades kinder12 garten through 12 for outstanding projects to promote 

13 local environmental awareness.’’. 

14 SEC. 9. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

15 Section 9 of the National Environmental Education 

16 Act (20 U.S.C. 5508) is amended to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 9. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COUN18 CIL. 

19 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established a 

21 council, to be known as the ‘National Environmental 

22 Education Advisory Council’. 

23 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Council 

24 shall consist of up to 11 individuals, appointed by 

25 the Administrator, with expertise in environmental 

26 education. 


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1 ‘‘(3) TERM.—Each member of the Advisory 

2 Council shall hold office for a term of 3 years, ex3 cept that— 

4 ‘‘(A) any member appointed to fill a va5 cancy occurring prior to the expiration of the 

6 term for which the predecessor of the member 

7 was appointed shall be appointed for the re8 mainder of that term; and 

9 ‘‘(B) the terms of the members first taking 

10 office, as designated by the Administrator at 

11 the time of appointment, shall expire as follows: 

12 ‘‘(i) Four shall expire 3 years after 

13 the date of enactment of the National En14 vironmental Education Reauthorization 

15 Act of 2010. 

16 ‘‘(ii) Four shall expire 2 years after 

17 that date. 

18 ‘‘(iii) Three shall expire 1 year after 

19 that date. 

20 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Advisory Council shall advise, 

21 consult with, and make recommendations to, the Adminis22 trator on matters relating to activities, functions, and poli23 cies, including grants, of the Agency under this Act. 

24 ‘‘(c) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) NON-FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member 

2 of the Advisory Council who is not an officer or em3 ployee of the Federal Government may be com4 pensated at a rate fixed by the Administrator, but 

5 not exceeding the daily equivalent of the annual rate 

6 of basic pay in effect for grade GS–15 of the Gen7 eral Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United 

8 States Code, for each day (including travel time) 

9 during which the member is engaged in the perform10 ance of the duties of the Advisory Council. 

11 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of the 

12 Advisory Council who is an officer or employee of 

13 the Federal Government shall serve without com14 pensation in addition to the compensation received 

15 for the services of the member as an officer or em16 ployee of the Federal Government. 

17 ‘‘(3) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of the 

18 Advisory Council shall be allowed travel expenses, in19 cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates au20 thorized for an employee of an agency under sub21 chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 

22 Code, while away from the home or regular place of 

23 business of the member in the performance of the 

24 duties of the Advisory Council. 


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1 ‘‘(d) APPLICABILITY OF FACA.—Section 14(a) of the 

2 Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not 

3 apply to the Advisory Council.’’. 

4 SEC. 10. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOUNDA5 TION. 

6 Section 10 of the National Environmental Education 

7 Act (20 U.S.C. 5509) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking the section designation and 

9 heading and inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 10. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOUN11 DATION.’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (a)(1)(A)— 

13 (A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘Na14 tional Environmental Education and Training 

15 Foundation’’ and inserting ‘‘National Environ16 mental Education Foundation’’; and 

17 (B) in the second sentence, by inserting 

18 ‘‘to work cooperatively with the private sector 

19 to undertake projects, programs, or initiatives 

20 that promote environmental education’’ after 

21 ‘‘advanced educational system’’; 

22 (3) in subsection (b)(1)(A), in the first sen23 tence, by striking ‘‘13 directors’’ and inserting ‘‘not 

24 fewer than 9 nor more than 15 directors’’; and 


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1 (4) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(d) CONDITIONS ON DONATIONS.—For the purposes 

4 of this section, a gift, devise, bequest, property (either real 

5 or personal), voluntary services, or any other thing of 

6 value may be accepted by the Foundation even if it is en7 cumbered, restricted, or subject to beneficial interests of 

8 private persons if, in the judgment of the Board— 

9 ‘‘(1) any current or future interest in the gift, 

10 devise, bequest, property (either real or personal), 

11 voluntary services, or any other thing of value is for 

12 the benefit of the Foundation; and 

13 ‘‘(2) any explicit or implied requirement of such 

14 a gift, devise, bequest, property (either real or per15 sonal), voluntary services, or any other thing of 

16 value is consistent with the environmental and edu17 cation goals and policies of the Environmental Pro18 tection Agency and with the intents and purposes of 

19 this Act.’’. 

20 SEC. 11. FUNDING. 

21 Section 11 of the National Environmental Education 

22 Act (20 U.S.C. 5510) is amended to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 11. FUNDING. 

24 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

2 appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this 

3 Act— 

4 ‘‘(A) $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

5 2010 and 2011; 

6 ‘‘(B) $42,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

7 2012 and 2013; 

8 ‘‘(C) $44,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

9 2014 and 2015; 

10 ‘‘(D) $46,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

11 2016 and 2017; 

12 ‘‘(E) $48,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

13 2018 and 2019; and 

14 ‘‘(F) $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

15 2020 and 2021. 

16 ‘‘(2) SPECIFIC USE OF FUNDS.—Of the 

17 amounts made available under paragraph (1) for a 

18 fiscal year for environmental education activities, the 

19 Administrator shall distribute funds in the following 

20 manner: 

21 ‘‘(A) Up to 30 percent for the activities of 

22 the Office of Environmental Education under 

23 section 4, environmental fellowships under sec24 tion 7, awards under section 8, and the EnviVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:00 Sep 25, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6194.IH H6194

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1 ronmental Education Advisory Council under 

2 section 9. 

3 ‘‘(B) Twenty-five percent for the operation 

4 of the environmental education and training 

5 program under section 5. 

6 ‘‘(C) At least 35 percent for environmental 

7 education grants under section 6. 

8 ‘‘(D) Ten percent for support of the Na9 tional Environmental Education Foundation 

10 under section 10. 

11 ‘‘(b) AMOUNTS FOR FOUNDATION.—If the Adminis12 trator determines that funds provided to the Foundation 

13 will be used to carry out the purposes of the Foundation 

14 in a manner consistent with the goals, objectives, and pro15 grams of this Act, funds may be so provided— 

16 ‘‘(1) to match partially or wholly the amount or 

17 value of contributions (whether in currency, services, 

18 or property) made to the Foundation by private per19 sons and State, local, and tribal governments; and 

20 ‘‘(2) to provide administrative services under 

21 section 10(e).’’. 

22 SEC. 12. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

23 (a) Section 7(f)(2) of the National Environmental 

24 Education Act (20 U.S.C. 5506(f)(2)) is amended by 


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1 striking ‘‘local education agency’’ and inserting ‘‘local edu2 cational agency’’. 

3 (b) Section 8(e) of the National Environmental Edu4 cation Act (20 U.S.C. 5507(e)) is amended in paragraphs 

5 (1) and (3) by striking ‘‘local education agency’’ each 

6 place it appears and inserting ‘‘local educational agency’’. 

7 (c) The table of contents of the National Environ8 mental Education Act (20 U.S.C. prec. 5501) is amended 

9 by striking the items relating to sections 2 through 11 

10 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 2. Findings and policy. 

‘‘Sec. 3. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 4. Office of Environmental Education. 

‘‘Sec. 5. Environmental Education and Training Program. 

‘‘Sec. 6. Environmental education grants. 

‘‘Sec. 7. Environmental fellowships. 

‘‘Sec. 8. Environmental education awards. 

‘‘Sec. 9. Environmental Education Advisory Council. 

‘‘Sec. 10. National Environmental Education Foundation. 

‘‘Sec. 11. Funding.’’. 

Æ 


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