Document ID: EPA_FRDOC_0001-24605
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Appointments: Board of Directors for the National Environmental Education Foundation
Posted Date: 2019-10-07T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 194 (Monday, October 7, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53436-53437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21832]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-10000-74-OA]

Announcement of the Board of Directors for the National 
Environmental Education Foundation

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Appointment.

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SUMMARY: The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation 
(doing business as The National Environmental Education Foundation or 
``NEEF'') was created by Section 10 of Public Law 101-619, the National 
Environmental Education Act of 1990 (NEEA) as a private 501(c)(3) non-
profit organization. It was established by Congress as a common ground 
upon which leaders from business and industry, all levels of 
government, public interest groups, and others can work cooperatively 
to raise a greater national awareness of environmental issues beyond 
traditional classrooms.
    Per NEEA, the EPA Administrator appoints and reappoints eligible 
individuals to serve on NEEF's Board of Directors. The Administrator 
announces the following four-year appointments to NEEF's Board of 
Directors, effective 90 days after publication of this notice:
     Jeniffer Harper-Taylor--Siemens Foundation (Re-
appointment)
     Jennifer Love--Royal Caribbean International
     Lori A. McFarling--Discovery Education
     Steve Sikra--Proctor & Gamble
    Additional considerations: As an independent foundation, NEEF is 
different from the Agency's several federal advisory committees and 
scientific boards, which have their own appointment processes. Because 
NEEA gives complete discretion to the Administrator in appointing 
members to NEEF's Board of Directors, EPA is taking additional steps to 
ensure all prospective members are qualified to serve on the Board and 
represent diverse points of view. In early 2019, EPA's Office of the 
Administrator formed an internal review panel comprised of senior EPA 
career officials tasked with verifying the qualifications of all future 
members of the NEEF Board of Directors selected by the Administrator. 
All new Board appointees underwent review by the panel prior to 
publication of this notice. These appointees will join the current 
Board members. Information on the Board members is available on NEEF's 
public website: https://www.neefusa.org/about-neef/board.
    In December 2018, NEEF signed a first-time Memorandum of 
Understanding with the (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew R. Wheeler to 
establish increased coordination between EPA and NEEF on key EPA 
initiatives including but not limited to EPA's Recycling Initiative, 
Trash Free Waters Program, Winning on Reducing Food Waste initiative, 
and the Healthy Schools Initiative.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding this Notice 
of Appointment, please contact Lee Tanner, (202)-564-4988) Acting 
Supervisor for Office of Environmental Education, U.S. EPA 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460. General information 
concerning NEEF may be found here: https://www.neefusa.org/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 10(a) of the National Environmental 
Education Act of 1990 (NEEA) establishes the National Environmental 
Education Foundation and its underlying terms. The statute in its

[[Page 53437]]

entirety is available on EPA's website and may be accessed here: 
https://www.epa.gov/education/national-environmental-education-act#s10.
    Section 10 of the NEEA provides the following, in pertinent part:
    (a) Establishment and Purposes--
    (1) ESTABLISHMENT--(A) There is hereby established the National 
Environmental Education Foundation. The Foundation is established in 
order to extend the contribution of environmental education and 
training to meeting critical environmental protection needs, both in 
this country and internationally; to facilitate the cooperation, 
coordination, and contribution of public and private resources to 
create an environmentally advanced educational system; and to foster an 
open and effective partnership among Federal, State, and local 
government, business, industry, academic institutions, community based 
environmental groups, and international organizations.
    (B) The Foundation is a charitable and nonprofit corporation whose 
income is exempt from tax, and donations to which are tax deductible to 
the same extent as those organizations listed pursuant to section 
501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The Foundation is not an 
agency or establishment of the United States.
    (2) PURPOSES--The purposes of the Foundation are--
    (A) subject to the limitation contained in the final sentence of 
subsection (d) herein, to encourage, accept, leverage, and administer 
private gifts for the benefit of, or in connection with, the 
environmental education and training activities and services of the 
United States Environmental Protection Agency;
    (B) to conduct such other environmental education activities as 
will further the development of an environmentally conscious and 
responsible public, a well-trained and environmentally literate 
workforce, and an environmentally advanced educational system; and
    (C) to participate with foreign entities and individuals in the 
conduct and coordination of activities that will further opportunities 
for environmental education and training to address environmental 
issues and problems involving the United States and Canada or Mexico.
    (3) PROGRAMS--The Foundation will develop, support, and/or operate 
programs and projects to educate and train educational and 
environmental professionals, and to assist them in the development of 
environmental education and training programs and studies.
    (b) Board of Directors-
    (1) ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP--(A) The Foundation shall have a 
governing Board of Directors (hereafter referred to in this section as 
`the Board'), which shall consist of 13 directors, each of whom shall 
be knowledgeable or experienced in the environment, education and/or 
training. The Board shall oversee the activities of the Foundation and 
shall assure that the activities of the Foundation are consistent with 
the environmental and education goals and policies of the EPA and with 
the intents and purposes of this Act. The membership of the Board, to 
the extent practicable, shall represent diverse points of view relating 
to environmental education and training.
    (2) APPOINTMENT AND TERMS--(A) Members of the Board shall be 
appointed by the EPA Administrator.
    (B) Within 90 days of the date of the enactment of this Act, and as 
appropriate thereafter, the Administrator shall publish in the Federal 
Register an announcement of appointments of Directors of the Board. 
Such appointments become final and effective 90 days after publication 
of the notice of appointment.
    (C) The directors shall be appointed for terms of 4 years. The 
Administrator shall appoint an individual to serve as a director in the 
event of a vacancy on the Board within 60 days of said vacancy in the 
manner in which the original appointment was made. No individual may 
serve more than 2 consecutive terms as a director.

    Dated: September 17, 2019.
Elizabeth (Tate) Bennett, Associate Administrator,
Office of Public Engagement and Environmental Education.
[FR Doc. 2019-21832 Filed 10-4-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P