2019-21832. Announcement of the Board of Directors for the National Environmental Education Foundation

AGENCY:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice of Appointment.

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 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.