National Institute for the Environment

Efforts to establish a National Institute for the Environment (NIE) are proceeding in Washington, and they may even pick up speed as a way to consolidate environmental research efforts that are being handled through many different agencies. A bill to establish the Institute is expected to be introduced in September or October by Representative James Saxton (R-NJ). Supporters are hoping that Speaker Newt Gingrich will cosponsor the bill, as he did with a similar bill in the last Congress. The idea has also been widely supported by environmental leaders.

The basic idea of the NIE is to coordinate research on environmental issues. According to a brochure about NIE, the U.S. spends $158 billion per year on pollution control and environmental cleanup, yet only an equivalent of 2% of that amount on science to understand, anticipate, and prevent environmental problems. EPA and a patchwork of 20 other agencies conduct research to form regulations and management policies, but no agency focuses exclusively on the science underlying environmental threats. The proposed NIE would be an independent, non-regulatory, federal institute with the mission of improving the scientific basis for making environmental decisions. It would not set policies, but rather provide the scientific information government agencies need to make sound policies and regulations. The Institute could be funded, according to proponents, by consolidating existing programs, and eliminating duplicative, inefficient programs. The Institute would not operate its own laboratories. The idea for establishing the Institute is being advanced by the Committee for the National Institute for the Environment, a non-profit organization comprised of more than 9,000 scientists, business leaders, government representatives, environmentalists, and concerned citizens.