§2932 Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences

Summary

Create a Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences to coordinate and improve federal research on global change. The Committee must include at least one high-ranking representative from major agencies such as the National Science Foundation, NASA, NOAA (Commerce), EPA, Department of Energy, State, Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Transportation, OMB, OSTP, Council on Environmental Quality, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH), plus any other agencies the President or the Council chair adds. Every two years the Council chair, with the Committee, picks one member to be the Committee chair. That chair must have experience running science programs and come from an agency that gives a lot of research support. The Committee chair appoints an Executive Secretary (with Committee approval) who stays employed by one of the member agencies. The Council chair can make personnel decisions for staff assigned to the Committee. The Committee plans and coordinates the Program, makes the Plan and oversees it, improves agency cooperation, gives budget advice, arranges public and peer reviews with universities, states, and industry, helps the Secretary of State with international representation and coordination, consults users of the research, and reports at least annually to the President and Congress through the Council chair.