Order Code 97-97
Updated November 18, 2005
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
National Environmental Education Act of
1990: Overview, Implementation, and
Reauthorization Issues
David M. Bearden
Analyst in Environmental Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Summary
The National Environmental Education Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-619) established a
program within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase public
understanding of the environment. The program awards grants for educating elementary
and secondary school students and training teachers, supports fellowships to encourage
the pursuit of environmental professions, selects individuals for environmental awards,
and sponsors workshops and conferences. The Bush Administration proposed to
eliminate funding for this program each year since FY2003, and again in FY2006,
asserting that it is uncertain whether the program has demonstrated results in improving
the quality of environmental education. Advocates of the program have countered that
it has had a national impact, providing financial assistance to schools in all 50 states to
train teachers, develop curricula, purchase textbooks, and conduct other educational
activities. In response to widespread state and local support, Congress has appropriated
funding to continue the program each year. The Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2006 (P.L. 109-54, H.R. 2361) provides $9 million
to continue EPA’s environmental education program, subject to an across-the-board
rescission of 0.476%. Although Congress continues to fund the program,
reauthorization legislation has not been enacted. The program’s original funding
authorization expired in FY1996. Among the issues for reauthorization in past
Congresses have been whether specific statutory requirements are needed to ensure that
environmental education activities supported by EPA are based on “sound science.”
This report will be updated as developments warrant.
Introduction
The Environmental Education Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-516) established an Office of
Environmental Education in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to award
grants for developing environmental curricula and training teachers. Congress moved the
office to the newly formed Department of Education in 1979. However, in response to
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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the Reagan Administration’s efforts to transfer the federal role in many programs to the
states, Congress eliminated the Office of Environmental Education in 1981.
Several years later, the 101st Congress enacted the National Environmental Education
Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-619) to renew the federal role in environmental education and
reestablish an office of environmental education within EPA. In the law’s findings, the
101st Congress stated that existing federal programs to educate the public about
environmental problems and train environmental professionals were inadequate at that
time and that increasing the federal role in this area was therefore necessary.
EPA is authorized to work with educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, the
private sector, tribal governments, and state and local environmental agencies to educate
the public about environmental problems and encourage students to pursue environmental
careers. Environmental education involves learning ecological concepts to understand the
relation between human behavior and environmental quality, and developing the
knowledge and skills to analyze environmental problems and create solutions.
The goal of EPA’s environmental education program is to increase public knowledge
about environmental issues and provide the public with the skills necessary to make
informed decisions and take responsible actions to protect the environment. The program
supports activities to achieve these goals primarily through the awarding of grants. Since
the beginning of the program in FY1992, EPA has awarded grants for environmental
education projects in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories
for educating elementary and secondary school students, training teachers, purchasing
textbooks, developing curricula, and other educational activities.
This report presents an overview of the National Environmental Education Act of
1990, discusses appropriations, examines EPA’s implementation of the act, and analyzes
potential issues for reauthorization that may be considered in the 109th Congress.
Appropriations
Although the funding authorization for EPA’s environmental education program
expired at the end of FY1996, Congress has continued to fund it since then without
enacting reauthorizing legislation. However, the Bush Administration has proposed to
eliminate funding for the program each year since FY2003, and did not include any
funding for the program in its FY2006 request.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) gave the program a “Results Not
Demonstrated” rating as part of its government-wide assessment of federal programs.
OMB indicated that the absence of performance metrics for activities supported by grant
awards made it difficult to determine whether the program was achieving its goal of
improving the quality of environmental education. In recent years, the Administration has
used OMB’s rating as the primary justification for its recurring proposal to eliminate
funding for the program.
Advocates of the program have pointed out that there have been long-standing
disagreements among educators about how to evaluate the quality of education in general,
and that the lack of performance metrics for educational activities is not unique to EPA’s
grant program. Such critics countered OMB’s characterization of the program’s

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effectiveness by arguing that grant awards have had a positive impact on a national level
with a small amount of funding relative to EPA’s total budget, and that the program
therefore should be continued. The activities supported by these grants have generated
significant state and local support.
In response to state and local concern about the proposed elimination of EPA’s
environmental education program, Congress appropriated funding to continue it in
FY2003, FY2004, and FY2005 with broad bipartisan support, and has provided funding
again for FY2006. Title II of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act for FY2006 (P.L. 109-54, H.R. 2361) provides funding for EPA and
includes $9 million for the environmental education program, subject to an across-the-
board rescission of 0.476% as required by Section 439 of Title IV. The House had
proposed $9 million in passing its version of H.R. 2361, and the Senate had proposed $7
million. Neither the House nor Senate versions included an across-the-board rescission,
as did the final bill. The table below indicates appropriations since FY2003 to reinstate
the program.
Environmental Education Program Appropriations: FY2003-FY2005
Enacted, FY2006 Request, and Congressional Action
(millions of dollars)
H.R. 2361,
H.R. 2361,
FY2003
FY2004
FY2005
FY2006
P.L.
as passed
as passed
Enacted*
Enacted
Enacted
Request
109-54
the House
the Senate
$9.1
$9.1
$8.9
$0.0
$9.0
$7.0
$9.0
Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service. Enacted amounts are from the conference reports
on final appropriations bills for FY2003 (H.J.Res. 2, H.Rept. 108-10), FY2004 (H.R. 2673, H.Rept. 108-
401), and FY2005 (H.R. 4818, H.Rept. 108-792). Enacted amounts reflect across-the-board rescissions of
0.65% in FY2003, 0.59% in FY2004, and 0.80% in FY2005. The Administration’s lack of request for
funds for FY2006 is from EPA’s FY2006 budget justification. The amount for H.R. 2361, as passed by the
House, is from H.Rept. 109-80, and as passed by the Senate, is from S.Rept. 109-80. The amount for P.L.
109-54 is from the conference report on H.R. 2361 (H.Rept. 109-188), which is subject to an across-the-
board rescission of 0.476% as required by Section 439 of Title IV of the conference agreement.
* Although the conference report on the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution for FY2003 (H.J.Res. 2,
H.Rept. 108-10) specified a funding level of $9.2 million for the environmental education program ($9.1
million after the 0.65% across-the-board rescission), it directed EPA to allocate this amount “from within
available funds.” EPA’s FY2005 budget justification indicates that the agency allocated $5.3 million in
actual funding from available appropriations for FY2003.
Overview and Implementation
The National Environmental Education Act authorizes EPA to award grants for
developing environmental curricula and training teachers, support fellowships to
encourage the pursuit of environmental professions, and select individuals for
environmental awards.1 EPA also consults with the Environmental Education Advisory
Council and the Federal Task Force on Environmental Education in conducting the above
activities and coordinating its efforts with related federal programs. In addition to these
1 For additional information, refer to EPA’s website at [http://www.epa.gov/enviroed].

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activities, the act established a nonprofit foundation to encourage cooperation between
the public and private sectors to support environmental education. Each of these activities
is discussed below.
Office of Environmental Education. Section 4 of the act directed EPA to
establish an office of environmental education to implement programs authorized under
the act and coordinate its activities with related federal programs. EPA established the
Office of Environmental Education within the Office of Public Affairs to perform these
functions.
Environmental Education and Training Program. EPA developed the
Environmental Education and Training Program to train education professionals to
develop and teach environmental curricula. Section 5 of the act directs EPA to award an
annual grant to a higher educational institution or nonprofit organization to operate the
program under a multiple-year agreement. The act requires EPA to reserve 25% of the
annual funding for its environmental education program to support the Environmental
Education and Training Program. Teachers, administrators, and related staff of
educational institutions as well as staff of state and local environmental agencies, tribal
governments, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to participate. The University of
Wisconsin at Stevens Point has been implementing this training program, under
agreement with EPA, since October 2000.2
Environmental Education Grants. The Environmental Education Grant
Program supports activities that educate elementary and secondary school students, study
environmental issues, train teachers, and foster environmental cooperation between the
United States, Canada, and Mexico. Educational institutions, state and local
environmental agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations are eligible for
these grants. Section 6 of the act requires EPA to reserve at least 38% of total annual
funding for the environmental education program to support these grants.
The act limits a single grant to $250,000 and reserves 25% of the grants for smaller
amounts of $5,000 or less, as a means to ensure a greater number of grant awards among
recipients. EPA reports that few grant awards exceed $100,000 and that the majority of
grant awards are for $10,000 or less. The act also stipulates that a grant cannot exceed
75% of the cost to implement a proposed project, and the recipient must provide the
remaining 25% in matching funds.
Since FY1992, EPA has awarded approximately $38 million in grants for nearly
3,000 environmental education projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S.
territories, of which nearly $2 million was awarded for FY2005. Grant recipients have
provided more than $20 million in matching funds, and in some cases, have reported
matching funds that exceeded individual grant awards, underscoring the importance of
these activities to school districts and local communities.
The competition for grant awards has historically been stiff due to limited
appropriations. In recent years, EPA has had the resources to award grants to about 20%
2 For additional information, see the Environmental Education and Training Partnership’s website
at [http://www.eetap.org].

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of those who applied. EPA issued a solicitation notice for FY2006 grant awards on
September 30, 2005, and planned to accept grant proposals through November 23, 2005.3
EPA expects to announce the grant awards for FY2006 by the end of next summer.
Environmental Fellowships. With authority provided in Section 7 of the act,
EPA administers the National Network for Environmental Management Studies to
encourage post-secondary students to pursue environmental careers. Students work with
an environmental professional at EPA on a specific project or conduct university research
under EPA’s direction. In recent years, EPA has awarded approximately 40 fellowships
annually to students at more than 400 participating universities.
Environmental Education Awards. EPA administers the Presidential
Environmental Youth Awards Program to recognize outstanding projects that promote
local environmental awareness. Elementary and high school students are eligible to
compete annually to receive awards from the EPA regional offices. EPA selects a winner
in each of its 10 regions, and invites the winners to attend a ceremony in Washington,
D.C. The award recipients receive national recognition from the President or Vice
President of the United States and the EPA Administrator.
Section 8 of the act also created four national awards to recognize outstanding
contributions to environmental education and training. EPA announced the first
recipients in 1993. The awards commemorate Theodore Roosevelt for teaching, Henry
David Thoreau for literature, Rachael Carson for communications media, and Gifford
Pinchot for natural resources management.
Environmental Education Advisory Council and Federal Task Force on
Environmental Education. EPA established an Environmental Education Advisory
Council and a Federal Task Force on Environmental Education under Section 9 of the act.
The council consists of 11 members representing a diverse range of public and private
expertise in environmental education and training. The council consults with EPA and
reports to Congress periodically on the quality of environmental education, the
implementation of the act, and its recommendations to improve environmental education
and training. The council has met at least once annually since 1992.
The task force coordinates EPA’s environmental education and training activities
with related federal programs. EPA chairs the task force, and its members have included
representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health and
Human Services, and Interior, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Science Foundation.
The task force has met at least once annually since 1991.
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. The
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation encourages cooperation
between the public and private sectors to support environmental education and training.4
Section 10 of the act established the foundation as a private, nonprofit organization with
3 70 Federal Register 57278.
4 For additional information, see the National Environmental Education Training Foundation’s
website at [http://www.neetf.org].

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a board of 13 directors who are responsible for insuring that its activities adhere to EPA’s
policies. The foundation operates several priority programs that focus on public health
and the environment, “green” business, environmental education at the K-12 level, and
adult education.
The foundation also awards competitive challenge grants to encourage innovative
non-federal activities in environmental education and presents National Environmental
Education Achievement Awards to honor outstanding and scientifically accurate
environmental education programs. Additionally, the foundation supports annual research
projects which examine the public’s perception, awareness, and action regarding the
environment, pollution control regulations, and personal responsibility. The act requires
EPA to reserve 10% of the environmental education program’s annual funding to award
a non-competitive grant to help support the foundation’s activities.
Potential Issues for Reauthorization
Although Members of Congress have broadly supported environmental education
on a bipartisan basis, there has been a continuing controversy at the local level over its
role in the classroom. There appears to be general consensus that educating students in
the ecological sciences and examining the potential impacts of human behavior on the
environment is appropriate for instruction. However, some critics argue that certain
textbooks and curricula misinform students by advocating specific measures to address
environmental problems, or by presenting unbalanced or scientifically inaccurate data on
particular topics.
In response to the above concerns, EPA has developed guidelines for funding
environmental education activities which specify that the grants awarded by EPA cannot
be used for projects that would recommend a specific course of action or advocate a
particular viewpoint. Further, lobbying or political activities are specifically designated
as activities that are ineligible for funding. These guidelines also indicate that
environmental education activities must be based on “objective and scientifically sound
information” to be eligible for funding. However, the National Environmental Education
Act itself does not include specific requirements to insure that activities funded by EPA
adhere to these guidelines. Whether to include such requirements in federal statute has
been a prominent consideration in past debate over the reauthorization of the act.
To date, legislation to reauthorize funding for EPA’s environmental education
program has not been introduced in the 109th Congress. Reauthorizaton legislation was
considered, but not enacted, in each Congress from the 104th to the 107th. Most recently,
two reauthorization bills were considered during the 107th Congress (H.R. 1 as passed by
the Senate, and S. 876 as introduced). Both bills would have authorized funding through
FY2007 and amended various aspects of the program. Both bills also would have
included statutory language limiting funding eligibility to activities that are “objective and
scientifically sound.” However, neither bill specified criteria to determine how an
activity would have met this requirement.
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