I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2827
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. ROU-
KEMA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Science
A BILL
To consolidate and improve governmental environmental re-
search by organizing a National Institute for the Envi-
ronment, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 mecha-
nism for providing and communicating a comprehen-
sive, objective, and credible scientific understanding
of environmental issues in a timely manner to policy-
makers 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 so-
lutions 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 informa-
tion, and the appropriate education and training of
environmental scientists, engines, and other profes-
sionals.
(4) A healthy environment is essential to an en-
hanced quality of life, a competitive economy, and
national security.
(5) It is imperative that our Nation wisely ex-
pend its fiscal resources by eliminating duplication
of certain Federal environmental research, and by
consolidating Federal environmental science pro-
grams 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 gov-
ernmental 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, infor-
mation 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 As-
sessment 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 envi-
ronmental issues and evaluate constraints which
may affect the conduct of this research, includ-
ing 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 orga-
nizations 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 characteriza-
tion);
(ii) environmental systems (including
mechanisms, processes, and effects); and
(iii) environmental sustainability (in-
cluding strategies, methods, and tech-
niques);
(B) ensure that such research is discipli-
nary, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary,
and organized around priority environmental is-
sues, including the human dimensions associ-
ated with environmental problems;
(5) to establish a National Library for the En-
vironment 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 infor-
mation 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 informa-
tion, 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 in-
formation resources, through the promotion and
development of policies and standards for man-
aging and providing access to environmental
data and information; and
(6) to sponsor education and training of envi-
ronmental scientists and professionals and to im-
prove the public environmental literacy, including by
establishing a Directorate of Education and Train-
ing with duties to—
(A) 
award 
competitive 
scholarships,
traineeships, fellowships, and other arrange-
ments at universities, colleges, and other insti-
tutions for study and research in disciplinary
and interdisciplinary environmental sciences,
and for improving environmental literacy;
(B) support curriculum and program devel-
opment, 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 edu-
cation programs, including using the National
Library for the Environment and other means
to disseminate knowledge about the environ-
ment.
SEC. 6. BOARD OF GOVERNORS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be a Board of
Governors for the Institute which shall establish goals, pri-
orities, and policies of the Institute and serve in the na-
tional interest.
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—
(1) APPOINTMENT.—The Board shall be com-
posed 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 sci-
entific information on the environment, and shall in-
clude individuals—
(A) who as scientists, users of scientific in-
formation, or those who are affected by environ-
mental issues, are individuals from diverse
groups, including State, tribal, and local gov-
ernments, business, environmental and citizens
groups, academia, other organizations, and the
public;
(B) have an established record of distin-
guished 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 appoint-
ments under this section, the President shall seek to pro-
vide for representation on the Board of women, minority
groups, and individuals recommended by the National
Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineer-
ing, and other groups.
(d) TERMS.—Members of the Board shall serve the
following terms:
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (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 en-
vironmental 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 estab-
lish such advisory committees as the Board considers nec-
essary. The Board shall consult with the Interagency Advi-
sory Committee established by section 9 and advisory com-
mittees established under this subsection, to ensure co-
ordination 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 serv-
ice.
(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 ad-
ministered 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 Presi-
dent—
(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, in-
cluding powers delegated by the Board, and all ac-
tions 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 Tech-
nology Council.
(6) EX-OFFICIO MEMBER OF BOARD.—The Di-
rector shall be a nonvoting, ex-officio member of the
Board.
(b) ASSISTANT DIRECTORS.—The Director shall ap-
point, in consultation with the Board, Assistant Directors
for the Center for Environmental Assessment, the Direc-
torate of Research, the National Library for the Environ-
ment, 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 in-
formation required by the Director that is requested by
the Institute.
(b) ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PRODUCTS OF IN-
STITUTE.—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 en-
vironmental 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 pro-
grams of the agencies; and
(3) other Federal agencies are informed of the
scientific findings of the Institute.
(c) COMPOSITION.—The Interagency Advisory Com-
mittee shall consist of the heads (or their designees of
other Federal agencies, including the Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Na-
tional Science Foundation, the Department of Defense,
the Department of Energy, the Department of the Inte-
rior, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of
Transportation, the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration, the National Science and Technology Coun-
cil, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the De-
partment 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 ASSIST-
ANCE.—To carry out the duties of the Institute under this
Act, the Institute, subject to the availability of appropria-
tions, may enter into various financial arrangements, in-
cluding competitively awarded grants, loans, cooperative
agreements, and contracts to institutions, teams, and cen-
ters, 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 em-
ployment with the Federal Government; and
(2) the receipt of funding from the Institute
shall be subject to any criteria and other require-
ments 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, sub-
ject to the approval of the Board—
(A) receive funds from other Federal agen-
cies; and
(B) accept, use, and dispose of gifts, be-
quests, 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 FUNC-
TIONS 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 appro-
priate 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 con-
sider a program to be appropriate for transfer to the Insti-
tute if the program—
(1) is consistent with the mission of the Insti-
tute 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 pro-
grams.
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 Fed-
eral, State, tribal, and local governments, and simi-
lar individuals in the private sector.
(3) ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCES.—The term
‘‘environmental sciences’’ means the full range of
fields of study, including biological, physical, chemi-
cal, geological, and social sciences, engineering, and
humanities, relevant to the understanding of envi-
ronmental problems.
(4) INSTITUTE.—The term ‘‘Institute’’ means
the National Institute for the Environment estab-
lished by this Act.
(5) SCIENTIST.—The term ‘‘scientist’’ means a
practitioner of science relevant to the environment.
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HR 2827 IH——2