85 



and support of activities designed to enhance en- 

 vironmental quality and maintain ecological bal- 

 ance; while giving due consideration to the economic 

 considerations related thereto to demonstrate the 

 use of such curricula in model educational programs 

 and to evaluate the effectiveness thereof: to provide 

 support for the initiation and maintenance programs 

 in environmental education at the elementary and 

 secondary levels; to disseminate curricular mat€rials 

 and other information for use In educational pro- 

 grams throughout the Nation; to provide training 

 program? for teachers, other educational personnel, 

 public service personnel, anci community, labor, and 

 industrial and business leaders and employees, and 

 government employees at State, Federal, and local 

 levels; to provide for the planning of outdoor ecologi- 

 cal study centers; to provide for community educa- 

 tion prosrams on preserving and enhancing en- 

 vironmental quality and maintaining ecological bal- 

 ance; and to provide for the preparation and dis- 

 tribution of ma tr-rials by mass media in dealing with 

 the environment and ecology. (As amended Pub. L. 

 93-278, § 4, May 10, 1974, 88 Stat. 121.) 

 Amendments 

 107" — Sub'ec. ih) . Pub. L. 93-278 qualified the declared 

 purpose of the chapter by requiring that due weight be 

 given to the cccnomlc con.slderations Involved In enhanc- 

 !n-; environmental qui;lity and maintaining ecological 

 balt^nce. 



§ 1532. Environmental education programs. 



(a) Office of environmental education; establishment; 

 functions; Director; compensation; definition of 

 "environmental education". 



( 1 ) There is established, within the OfHce of Edu- 

 cation, an olBce of environmental education (referred 

 to in this section as the "oCBce") which, under the 

 supervision of the Commissioner, through regula- 

 tions promulgated by the Secretary, shall be respon- 

 sible for (A) the administration of the program 

 authorized by subsection (b) of this section and (B) 

 the coordination of activities of the OfiRce of Educa- 

 tion which are related to environmental education. 

 The office shall be headed by a Director who shall be 

 compensated at a rate not to exceed that prescribed 

 for grade GS-17 in section 5332 of Title 5. 

 (2) For the purposes of this chapter, the term 

 "environmental education" means the educational 

 process dealing with man's relationship with his 

 natural and manmade surroundings, and includes 

 the relation of population, pollution, resource alloca- 

 tion and depletion, conservation, transportation, 

 technology, economic impact, and urban and rural 

 planning to the total human environment. 



(b) Grants and contracts implementing programs; 

 authority of Commissioner of Education; eligible 

 institutions; purposes of programs; uses of funds; 

 applications for financial assistance; procedure, 

 contents, and standards for approval of applica- 

 tions; limitations on Federal assistance; non- 

 Federal contributions. 



( 1 ) The Commissioner shall carry out a program 

 of making grants to, and contracts with, institutions 

 of higher education. State and local educational 

 agencies, regional educational research organiza- 

 tions, and other public and private agencies, orga- 



nizations, and institutions (including libraries and 

 museums) to support research, demonstration, and 

 pilot projects designed to educate the public on the 

 problems of environmental quality and ecological 

 balance, except that no grant may be made other 

 than to a nonprofit agency, organization or 

 institution. 



(2) Funds apprpriated for grants and con- 

 trEicts under this section shall be available for such 

 activities as — 



(A) the development of curricula (including 

 interdisciplinary curricula) in the preservation 

 and enhancement of environmental quality and 

 ecological balance; 



(B) dissemination of information relating to 

 such curricula and to environmental education, 

 generally ; 



(C) in the case of grants to State and local 

 educational agencies, for the support of environ- 

 mental education programs at the elementary 

 and secondary educational levels; 



(D) preservice and inservice training programs 

 and projects (including fellowship programs, In- 

 stitutes, workshops, symposiums, and seminars) 

 for educational personnel to prepare them to teach 

 in subject matter areas associated with environ- 

 mental quality and ecology, and for public service 

 personnel, government employees, and business, 



' labor, and industrial leaders and employees; 



(E) planning of outdoor ecological study 

 centers; 



( F ) community education programs on environ- 

 mental quality, including special programs for 

 adults; and 



(G) preparation and distribution of materials 

 suitable for use by the mass media in dealing 

 with the environment and ecology. 



In addition to the activities specified in the first 

 sentence of this paragraph, such funds may be used 

 for projects designed to demonstrate, test, and 

 evaluate the efTectiveness of any such activities, 

 whether or not assisted under this section. 



(3) (A) Financial assistance under this subsec- 

 tion may be made available only upon application 

 to the Commissioner. Applications under this subsec- 

 tion shall be submitted at such time, in such form, 

 and containing such information as the Secretary 

 shall prescribe by regulation and shall be approved 

 only if it — 



(i) provides that the activities and services for 

 which assistance is sought will be administered 

 by, or under the supervision of, the applicant; 



(U) describes a program for carrying out one 

 or more of the purposes set forth in the first 

 sentence of paragraph (2) which holds promise 

 of making a substantial contribution toward at- 

 taining the purposes of tbls section; 



(ill) sets forth such policies and procedures aa 

 will insure adequate evaluation of the activities 

 intended to be carried out under the application; 



(iv) sets forth policies and procedures which 

 assure that Federal funds made available under 

 this chapter for any fiscal year will be so used as 



