Collapse to view only § 5504. Environmental Education and Training Program
- § 5501. Findings and policy
- § 5502. Definitions
- § 5503. Office of Environmental Education
- § 5504. Environmental Education and Training Program
- § 5505. Environmental education grants
- § 5506. Environmental internships and fellowships
- § 5507. Environmental education awards
- § 5508. Environmental Education Advisory Council and Task Force
- § 5509. National Environmental Education and Training Foundation
- § 5510. Authorization
It is the policy of the United States to establish and support a program of education on the environment, for students and personnel working with students, through activities in schools, institutions of higher education, and related educational activities, and to encourage postsecondary students to pursue careers related to the environment.
The Administrator shall establish an Office of Environmental Education within the Environmental Protection Agency.
There is hereby established an Environmental Education and Training Program. The purpose of the program shall be to train educational professionals in the development and delivery of environmental education and training programs and studies.
The Administrator may enter into a cooperative agreement or contract, or provide financial assistance in the form of a grant, to support projects to design, demonstrate, or disseminate practices, methods, or techniques related to environmental education and training.
The program established by this section shall include solicitations for projects, selection of suitable projects from among those proposed, supervision of such projects, evaluation of the results of projects, and dissemination of information on the effectiveness and feasibility of the practices, methods, techniques and processes. Within one year of November 16, 1990, the Administrator shall publish regulations to assure satisfactory implementation of each element of the program authorized by this section.
Within 90 days after the date on which amounts are first appropriated for carrying out this chapter, and each year thereafter, the Administrator shall publish a solicitation for environmental education grants. The solicitation notice shall prescribe the information to be included in the proposal and other information sufficient to permit the Administrator to assess the project.
Any local education agency, college or university, State education agency or environmental agency, not-for-profit organization, or noncommercial educational broadcasting entity may submit an application to the Administrator in response to the solicitations required by subsection (e) of this section.
Each project under this section shall be performed by the applicant, or by a person satisfactory to the applicant and the Administrator.
Federal funds for any demonstration project under this section shall not exceed 75 percent of the total cost of such project. For the purposes of this section, the non-Federal share of project costs may be provided by inkind contributions and other noncash support. In cases where the Administrator determines that a proposed project merits support and cannot be undertaken without a higher rate of Federal support, the Administrator may approve grants under this section with a matching requirement other than that specified in this subsection, including full Federal funding.
Grants under this section shall not exceed $250,000. In addition, 25 percent of all funds obligated under this section in a fiscal year shall be for grants of not more than $5,000.
The Administrator shall, in consultation with the Office of Personnel Management and other appropriate Federal agencies, provide for internships by postsecondary level students and fellowships for in-service teachers with agencies of the Federal Government.
The purpose of internships and fellowships pursuant to this section shall be to provide college level students and in-service teachers with an opportunity to work with professional staff of Federal agencies involved in environmental issues and thereby gain an understanding and appreciation of such issues and the skills and abilities appropriate to such professions.
The Administrator shall, to the extent practicable, support not less than 250 internships each year and not less than 50 fellowships each year.
The internship and fellowship programs shall be managed by the Office of Environmental Education. Interns and fellows may serve in appropriate agencies of the Federal Government including, but not limited to, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Council on Environmental Quality, Federal natural resource management agencies, the Department of Agriculture, and the National Science Foundation.
Interns shall be hired on a temporary, full-time basis for not to exceed 6 months and shall be compensated appropriately. Fellows shall be hired on a temporary full-time basis for not to exceed 12 months and shall be compensated appropriately. Federal agencies hiring interns shall provide the funds necessary to support salaries and related costs.
Individuals shall be selected for internships and fellowships based on applications which shall be in such form as the Administrator considers appropriate.
In selecting individuals for internships and fellowships, the Administrator shall provide for wide geographic, cultural, and minority representation.
The Administrator shall provide for a series of national awards recognizing outstanding contributions to environmental education.
Recipients of education awards provided for in subsection (b) shall be nominated by the Environmental Education Advisory Council provided for in section 5508 of this title.
The Administrator may provide for the “President’s Environmental Youth Awards” to be given to young people in grades kindergarten through twelfth for an outstanding project to promote local environmental awareness.
There is hereby established a National Environmental Education Advisory Council and a Federal Task Force on Environmental Education.
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 and delivery of environmental education and training programs and studies.
The Chair shall be elected by the Board from its members for a 2-year term.
A majority of the current membership of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
The Board shall meet at the call of the Chair at least twice a year. If a Director misses three consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, that individual may be removed from the Board and that vacancy filled in accordance with this subsection.
Members of the Board shall serve without pay, but may be reimbursed for the actual and necessary traveling and subsistence expenses incurred by them in the performance of the duties of the Foundation.
The Foundation shall have an official seal selected by the Board which shall be judicially noticed.
Subject to the requirements of this subsection, the Administrator may provide personnel, facilities, and other administrative services to the Foundation, including reimbursement of expenses under subsection (b)(6) of this section, not to exceed then current Federal Government per diem rates, for a period of up to 4 years from November 16, 1990, and may accept reimbursement therefor, to be deposited in the Treasury to the credit of the appropriations then current and chargeable for the costs of providing such services. With respect to personnel, the Administrator may provide no more than 1 full-time employee to serve the Foundation in a policy capacity, and may provide clerical and other support staff at a level equivalent to 2 full-time equivalent employees to the Foundation, for a period not to exceed 2 years from the date of initial assignment of any personnel for this purpose.
The Administrator may accept, without regard to the civil service classification laws, rules, or regulations, the services of the Foundation, the Board, and the officers and employees of the Board, without compensation from the Environmental Protection Agency, as volunteers in the performance of the functions authorized herein, in the manner provided for under this section.
For purposes of section 10101 of title 36, the Foundation shall be treated as a corporation in part B of subtitle II of title 36.
The United States shall not be liable for any debts, defaults, acts, or omissions of the Foundation nor shall the full faith and credit of the United States extend to any obligation of the Foundation.
The Congress expressly reserves the right to repeal or amend this section at any time.
There is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out this chapter not to exceed $12,000,000 for each fiscal year 1992 and 1993, not to exceed $13,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, and not to exceed $14,000,000 for each fiscal year 1995 and 1996.
Of such sums appropriated in a fiscal year, 25 percent shall be available for the activities of the Office of Environmental Education, 25 percent shall be available for the operation of the environmental education and training program, 38 percent shall be available for environmental education grants, 10 percent shall be available for support of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, and 2 percent shall be available to support awards pursuant to section 5507(e) of this title.