§5506 Environmental internships and fellowships

Summary

The Administrator must set up internships for college students and fellowships for current teachers, working with the Office of Personnel Management and other federal agencies. The programs must give students and teachers real work experience with federal staff on environmental issues. Each year the Administrator should support at least 250 internships and at least 50 fellowships. The Office of Environmental Education will run the programs, and placements can be in agencies such as the EPA, Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, Council on Environmental Quality, Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, or other natural resource agencies. Interns must be college students who have finished at least four courses in environmental science or similar work. Fellows must be teachers employed by a local school system with at least 2 years teaching environmental subjects. Internships are full-time and temporary for up to 6 months; fellowships are full-time and temporary for up to 12 months. Participants must be paid, and agencies that hire interns must pay the salary and related costs. Applicants are chosen from applications, and the Administrator must aim for wide geographic, cultural, and minority representation.