119 



§ 4371. Congressional findings, declarations, and pur- 

 poses. 



fa) The Congress finds — 



(1) that man has caused changes in the en- 

 vironment; 



(2) that many of these changes may affect the 

 relationship between man and his environment: 

 and 



(3) that population increases and urban con- 

 centration contribute directly to pollution and the 

 degradation of our enviroiiment. 



(b) (1) The Congress declares that there is a na- 

 tional policy for the environment which provides for 

 the enhancement of environmental quality. This 

 policy is evidenced by statutes heretofore enacted 

 relating to the prevention, abatement, and control of 

 environmental pollution, water and land resources, 

 transportation, and economic and regional develop- 

 ment. 



(2) The primary responsibility for implementing 

 this policy rests with State and local governments. 



(3) The Federal Government encourages and sup- 

 ports implementation of this policy through appro- 

 priate regional organizations established under 

 existing law. 



<c) The purposes of this chapter are — 



(1 ) to assure that each Federal department and 

 agency conducting or supiporting public works 

 activities which affect the environment shall im- 

 plement the policies established under existing 

 law: and 



(2) to authorize an Office of Environmental 

 Quality, which, notwithstanding any other pro- 

 vision of law, shall provide the professional and 

 administrative staff for the Council on Environ- 

 mental Quality established by Public Law 91-190. 



(Pub. L. 91-224, title U, § 202, Apr. 3, 1970, 84 Stat. 

 114.) 



§ 4372. Office of Environmental Quality. 



(a) Establishment; Director; Deputy Director. 



There is established In the Executive Ofllce of the 

 President an office to be known as the Office of En- 

 vironmental Quality (hereafter in this chapter re- 

 ferred to as the "Office"). The Chairman of the 

 Council on Environmental Quality established by 

 Public Law 91-190 shall be the Ehrector of the Office. 

 There shall be in the Office a Deputy Director who 

 shall be afjpointed by the President, by and with 

 the advice and consent of the Senate. 



(b) Compensation of Deputy Director. 



The compensation of the Deputy Director shall be 

 fixed by the President at a rate not in excess of the 

 annual rate of compensation payable to the Deputy 

 Director of the Office of Management and Budget. 



(c) Employment of personnel, experts, and consul- 

 tants; compensation. 



The Director is authorized to employ such officers 

 and employees (including experts and consultants) 

 as may be necessary to enable the Office to carry out 

 its functions under this chapter and Public Law 91- 

 190, except that he may employ no more than ten 

 specialists and other experts without regard to the 



provisions of Title 5, governing appointments in the 

 comf>etitive service, and pay such specialists and ex- 

 perts without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 

 and subchapter HI of chapter 53 of such title relating 

 to classification and General Schedule pay rates, but 

 no such specialist or expert shall be paid at a rate 

 in excess of the maximum rate for GS-18 of the 

 General Schedule under section 5332 of Title 5. 



(d) Duties and functions of Director. 



In carrying out his functions the Director shall 

 assist and advise the President on policies and pro- 

 grams of the Federal Government affecting environ- 

 mental quality by — 



(1) providing the professional and administra- 

 tive staff and support for the Council on Environ- 

 mental Quality established by Public Law 91-190. 



(2) assisting the Federal agencies and depart- 

 ments in appraising the effectiveness of existing 

 and proposed facilities, programs, policies, and 

 activities of the Federal Government, and those 

 specific major projects designated by the President 

 which do not require individual project authoriza- 

 tion by Congress, which affect environmental 

 quality ; 



(3) reviewing the adequacy of existing systems 

 for monitoring and predicting environmental 

 changes in order to achieve effective coverage and 

 efficient use of research facilities and other re- 

 sources ; 



(4) promoting the advancement of scientific 

 knowledge of the effects of actions and technology 

 on the environment and encourage the develop- 

 ment of the means to prevent or reduce adverse 

 effects that endanger the health and weU-belng 

 of man: 



(5) assisting in c(x>rdinating among the Fed- 

 eral departments and agencies those programs and 

 activities which affect, protect, and improve envi- 

 ronmental quality: 



(6) assisting the Federal departments and 

 agencies in the development and interrelationship 

 of environmental quality criteria and standards 

 established through the Federal Government: 



(7) collecting, collating, analyzing, and Inter- 

 preting data and information on environmental 

 quality, ecological research, and evaluation. 



(e) Authority of Director to contract. 



The Director is authorized to contract with public 

 or private agencies, institutions, and organization? 

 and with individuals without regard to section 529 of 

 Title 31 and section 5 of Title 41 in carrying out his 

 functions. (Pub. L. 91-224, title n, § 203, Apr. 3, 1970, 

 84 Stat. 114; 1970 Reorg. Plan No. 2, efl. July 1, 1970, 

 35 P.R. 7959, 84 Stat. 2085.) 



§4373. Referral of Environmental Quality Reports to 

 standing committees having jurisdiction. 



Each Environmental Quality Report required by 

 Public Law 91-190 shall, upon transmittal to Con- 

 gress, be referred to each standing committee having 

 jurisdiction over any part of the subject matter of 

 the Report. (Pub. L. 91-224, title n, § 204, Apr. 3, 

 1970. 84 Stat. 115.) 



