[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 87 (Thursday, June 13, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S6252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AMENDMENTS ACT

 Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I rise in support of the National 
Environmental Education Amendments Act, a measure which I am proud to 
cosponsor. I was also proud to support the original enacting 
legislation in 1990. This bill is designed to extend the life of the 
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation [NEETF], which 
was established in 1990 to meet critical environmental needs in the 
very best way we know how. It relies on solid, reputable science to 
bring broad-based environmental education to citizens and workers 
across the country and around the world.
  Specifically, the Foundation serves as a link between public and 
private resources. It administers a matching grant program to 
encourage, leverage, and manage private gifts for environmental 
education. Those funds are spent on school projects, after-school 
activities, worker training, and adult education.
  In my home State of New York, the Foundation has sponsored 
approximately 80 projects, which I expect will have tremendous impact 
on the participants and many others. One grant was awarded to the High 
School for Environmental Studies Project, sponsored by the Council on 
the Environment of New York City, to infuse environmental awareness 
into all subjects in the 9th through 12th grade curricula. The NEETF 
also sponsored a bilingual program addressing environmental issues 
affecting Harlem residents through the waste reduction demonstration 
project, which is part of the Harlem environmental impact project. In 
Cortland, NY, NEETF operates an environmental education after-school 
program for elementary students. These projects share a common theme: 
They are visionary and proactive efforts to make citizens better 
informed about issues which affect them.
  In the June 10th issue of US News & World Report, Michael Satchell 
writes about the growing criticism of environmental education in this 
country. Although some 20 States now require or strongly encourage 
environmental education, the quality of the education is spotty and the 
criticism from some camps has been overly pointed. The answer is not to 
abandon environmental education; there are identifiable risks about 
which the public deserves honest information. Rather, we should 
encourage fair, credible education based on solid science--a philosophy 
which is very much consistent with the mission of the NEETF.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this program.

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