Ames, Edward, a Ford Foundation report entitled, "Schools and the Bannon, Joseph J., chief, Office of Recreation and Park Resources, Uni- Brady, Robb, editor, the Post-Register, Idaho Falls, Idaho, statement of.. Bundy, McGeorge, president, Ford Foundation, reprint entitled, "Man- 796 Filippone, Ella F., economist, Basking Ridge, N.J., statement by. Fischer, Paul A., director of Federal programs, Kenai Peninsula Borough Gates, David M., director, Missouri Botanical Garden, and professor of 846 Gibbons, Hon. Sam, a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida, 776 Hamilton, Hon. Lee H., a Representative in Congress from the State of 777 Hare, J. D., M.D., associate professor of microbiology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, N.Y., paper entitled, "The Role of Education in our Environmental Crisis". Hubbard, Charles J., Linde-Hubbard Associates, Inc., Burlington, Vt., Idaho State University Ad Hoc Committee on Environmental Education, 841 Jayne, Gerald A., president, Idaho Environmental Council, Moscow, Idaho, Kay, Richard, science consultant, Department of Education, Boise, Idaho, paper entitled, "Environmental Education Through the State Education 823 Matsunaga, Hon. Spark M., a Representative in Congress from the State 778 Obey, Hon. David R., a Representative in Congress from the State of Palumbo, Mrs. Ralph, president, Mission Avenue Parent-Teacher Associa- Pratt, George L. B., president, American Association of State Colleges and Rueff, Joseph A., coordinator, social science research projects, Elkhart Community Schools, Elkhart, Ind., statement by Schneider, Gerald, program specialist for the Girl Scouts, U.S.A., article 775 845 782 Terrill, James G., P.E., executive director, American Academy of En- 781 780 Unruh, Hon. Jess, assemblyman, Assembly California Legislature, Ury, Claude M., Kensington, Calif., letter to Chairman Brademas, dated Wisely, William H., executive director, American Society of Civil Engineers, 787 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY EDUCATION ACT TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 1970 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SELECT SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 9:30 a.m., pursuant to call, in room 2261, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. John Brademas (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Brademas, Scheuer, and Hansen of Idaho. Staff members present: Jack G. Duncan, counsel; Ronald C. Katz, assistant staff director; Arlene Horowitz, staff assistant; Toni Immerman, clerk; Maureen Orth, consultant; Marty LaVor, minority legislative coordinator. (Text of H.R. 14753 follows:) [H.R. 14753, 91st Cong., first sess.] A BILL To authorize the United States Commissioner of Education to establish educational programs to encourage understanding of policies and support of activities designed to enhance environmental quality and maintain ecological balance Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Environmental Quality Education Act”. STATEMENTS OF FINDINGS AND PURPOSE SEC. 2. (a) The Congress of the United States finds that the deterioration of the quality of the Nation's environment and of its ecological balance is in part due to poor understanding by citizens of the Nation's environment and of the need for ecological balance; that presently there do not exist adequate resources for educating citizens in these areas, and that concerted efforts in educating citizens about environmental quality and ecological balance are therefore necessary. (b) It is the purpose of this Act to encourage and support the development of new and improved curriculums to encourage understanding of policies, and support of activities designed to enhance environmental quality and maintain ecological balance; to demonstrate the use of such curriculums in model educational programs and to evaluate the effectiveness thereof; to disseminate curricular materials and information for use in educational programs throughout the Nation; to provide training programs for teachers, other educational personnel, public service personnel, and community and industrial business leaders and employees, and government employees at State, Federal, and local levels; to provide for community education programs on preserving and enhancing environmental quality and maintaining ecological balance. USES OF FUNDS SEC. 3. (a) From the sums appropriated, the United States Commissioner of Education, hereinafter referred to in this Act as the "Commissioner", shall assist in educating the public on the problems of environmental quality and ecological balance by : (1) Making grants to or entering into contracts with institutions of higher education and other public or private agencies, institutions, or organizations for: (a) Projects for the development of curriculums to encourage preserving and enhancing environmental quality and maintaining ecological balance. (b) Pilot projects designed to demonstrate and test the effectiveness of the curriculums described in clause (a) whether developed with assistance under this Act or otherwise. (c) In the case of applicants who have conducted pilot projects under clause (b), projects for the dissemination of curricular materials and other information regarding the environment and ecology. (2) Undertaking directly or through contract or other arrangements with institutions of higher education or other public or private agencies, institutions, or organizations evaluations of the effectiveness of curriculums tested in use in elementary, secondary, college, and adult education programs involved in pilot projects described in paragraph 1(b). (3) Making grants to institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, and other public or private organizations to provide preservice and inservice training programs on environmental quality and ecology (including courses of study, symposiums, and workshops, institutes, seminars, conferences) for teachers, other educational personnel, public service personnel, and community, business and industrial leaders and employees, and government employees at State, Federal, and local levels. (4) Making grants to local education, municipal, and State agencies and other public and private nonprofit organnizations for community education on environmental quality and ecology, especially for adults. (5) Making grants for preparation and distribution of materials suitable for use by mass media in dealing with the environment and ecology. APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS SEC. 4. (a) Financial assistance for a project under this Act may be made only upon application at such time or times, in such manner, and containing or accompanied by such information as the Commissioner deems necessary, and only if such application (1) provides that the activities and services for which assistance under this title is sought will be administered by or under the supervision of the applicant; (2) sets forth a program for carrying out the purposes set forth in section 3 and provides for such methods of administration as are necessary for the proper and efficient operation of such programs; (3) sets forth policies and procedures which assure that Federal funds made available under this Act for any fiscal year will be so used as to supplement and, to the extent practical, increase the level of funds that would, in the absence of such Federal funds, be made available by the applicant for the purposes described in section 3, and in no case supplant such funds. (4) provides for such fiscal control and fund accounting procedures as may be necessary to assure proper disbursement of and accounting for Federal funds paid to the applicant under this title; and (5) provides for making an annual report and such other reports, in such form and containing such information, as the Commissioner may reasonably require and for keeping such records, and for affording such access thereto as the Commissioner may find necessary to assure the correctness and verification of such reports. (b) Applications from local educational agencies for financial assistance under this Act may be approved by the Commissioner only if the State educational agency has been notified of the application and been given the opportunity to offer recommendations. (c) Amendments of applications shall, except as the Commissioner may otherwise provide by or pursuant to regulation, be subject to approval in the same manner as original applications. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY EDUCATION SEC. 5. (a) The Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare shall appoint an Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality Education which shall (1) advise the Secretary concerning the administration of, preparation of, general regulations for, and operation of, programs supported with assistance under this Act; (2) make recommendations regarding the allocation of the funds under this Act among the various purposes set forth in section 3 and the criteria for establishing priorities in deciding which applications to approve, including criteria designed to achieve an appropriate geographical distributon of approved projects throughout all regions of the Nation; (3) review applications and make recommendations thereon; (4) review the administration and operation of projects and programs under this Act, including the effectiveness of such projects and programs in meeting the purposes for which they are established and operated, make recommendations with respect thereto, and make annual reports of its findings and recommendations (including recommendations for improvements in this Act) to the Secretary for transmittal to the Congress; and (5) evaluate programs and projects carried out under this Act and disseminate the results of such evaluations. (b) The Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality Education shall be appointed by the Secretary without regard to the civil service laws and shall consist of twenty-one members. The Secretary shall appoint one member as Chairman. The Committee shall consist of persons familiar with education, information media, and the relationship of man as producer, consumer, and citizen to his environment and the Nation's ecology. The Committee shall meet at the call of the Chairman or of the Secretary. (c) Members of the Advisory Committee shall, while serving on the business of the Advisory Committee, be entitled to receive compensation at rates fixed by the Secretary, but not exceeding $100 per day, including travel time; and while so serving away from their homes or regular places of business, they may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5 of the United States Code for persons in the Government service employed intermittently TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SEC. 6. The Secretary, in cooperation with other Cabinet officers with relevant jurisdiction, shall, upon request, render technical assistance to local educational agencies, public and private nonprofit organizations, private profitmaking organizations, institutions of higher learning, agencies of local, State, and Federal Government and other agencies deemed by the Secretary to play a role in preserving and enhancing environmental quality and maintaining ecological balance. The technical assistance shall be designed to enable the recipient agency to carry on education programs which (1) deal with environmental quality and ecology and (2) deal with environmental and ecological problems pertinent to the recipient agency. PAYMENTS SEC. 7. Payments under this Act may be made in installments and in advance or by way of reimbursement, with necessary adjustments on account of overpayments or underpayments. ADMINISTRATION SEC. 8. In administering the provisions of this Act, the Secretary is authorized to utilize the services and facilities of any agency of the Federal Government and of any other public or private agency or institution in accordance with appropriate agreements, and to pay for such services either in advance or by way of reimbursement, as may be agreed upon. AUTHORIZATION SEC. 9. There is authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1970, for carrying out the purposes of this Act such sums as Congress may deem necessary. Mr. BRADEMAS. The subcommittee will come to order. The Select Subcommittee on Education today opens the hearings on H.R. 14753, the Environmental Quality Education Act, which, on November 12, 1969, I introduced along with the gentlemen from New York, Mr. Scheuer and Mr. Reid, and the gentleman from Idaho, Mr. Hansen. The bill now enjoys the cosponsorship of some 80 Members of the House of Representatives of both parties. Members of Congress, I am sure, must all be struck with the really phenomenal growth and awareness in our own country and others of the dangers of the quality of our environment. I cite only a few examples: First, the recent issues of major national magazines such as Forum, Time, Life, Newsweek have been devoted primarily to ecological questions. Second, legal actions have recently been filed by the attorney general of Illinois against major corporations which have been dumping pollutants in waters around Chicago. Further, only last week the Department of Justice obtained a grand jury indictment against United States Steel for dumping solid wastes into Lake Michigan. Third, there has been an extraordinary growth of ecology action groups among students on college campuses. Thousands of students at colleges and high schools all over the country are scheduled to participate in a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22 which is designed to alert citizens of the nature of our environment. You may recall that the opening teach-in took place last week at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Fourth, President Nixon's message of February 11, 1970, on environment, in which the President calls for expenditure of $4 billion in Federal funds over the next 5 years on, among other items, uniform Federal standards for water purity, treatments plants, and development of pollution-free automobiles. The signs of environmental decay are obvious everywhere. Oil from faulty drillings fouls our beaches and endangers marine life and waterfowl. Pollution of the air takes minutes from each of our lives. Messy industrial areas, unsightly junkyards, ugly billboards, and thickets of powerlines diminish the joy of what we would otherwise see. To clean up our environment and to restore it to a congenial state will require billions of dollars in Federal funds and money from other sources as well, public and private. But in the view of the sponsors of the bill under consideration today, to achieve this goal we will also need a major educational effort to acquaint our younger students and adult citizens with the ecological facts of life so that future generations will not be faced with the problems that we are only beginning to confront now. I might note here the following statement from the report which the Citizens Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality made to the President in August 1969: Man's interaction with his environment, both natural and man-produced, is the basis of all learning-the very origin and substance of education. Yet, our formal education system has done little to produce an informed citizenry, sensitive to environmental problems and prepared and motivated to work toward their solution. The bill we are today considering is directed to the task of making Americans more aware of the dangers to their environment and to the steps we must take to meet them. |