The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is a division of the
Executive Office of the President that coordinates federal
environment
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
al efforts in the
United States and works closely with agencies and other White House offices on the development of environmental and energy policies and initiatives.
The first
Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality was
Russell E. Train
Russell Errol Train (June 4, 1920 – September 17, 2012) was the second administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from September 1973 to January 1977 and the founder chairman emeritus of World Wildlife Fund (WWF). As the seco ...
, under President
Richard Nixon. Since April 14, 2021, the chair is
Brenda Mallory.
Mission
The CEQ produces an annual report for the president on the state of the environment, oversees federal agency implementation of
environmental impact assessments, and acts as a referee when agencies disagree over the adequacy of such assessments. The National Environmental Policy Act tasks CEQ with ensuring that federal agencies meet their obligations under the Act, granting the body a significant role in environmental protection. Through inter-agency working groups and coordination with other EOP bodies, CEQ also works to advance the president's agenda on the environment, natural resources, and energy.
History
Origins
The
United States Congress established the CEQ within the Executive Office of the President as part of the
National Environmental Policy Act
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law that promotes the enhancement of the environment and established the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The law was enacted on January 1, 1970.Un ...
of 1969 (NEPA), during the
Richard Nixon administration. The CEQ was assigned additional responsibilities by the
Environmental Quality Improvement Act
The Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970 is a United States environmental law which was passed to work in conjunction with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). One of the two major purposes of the Act was to authorize the ...
of 1970. In enacting NEPA, Congress recognized that nearly all federal activities affect the environment in some way, and mandated that federal agencies must consider the environmental effects of their actions during their planning and decision-making processes. Under NEPA, CEQ works to balance environmental, economic, and social objectives in pursuit of NEPA's goal of "productive harmony" between humans and their environment.
Clinton administration
President
Bill Clinton appointed
Kathleen McGinty
Kathleen Alana McGinty (born May 11, 1963) is a retired American politician and former state and federal environmental policy official. She served as an environmental advisor to Vice President Al Gore and President Bill Clinton. Later, she serve ...
and then
George T. Frampton Jr. to chair the agency.
George W. Bush administration
President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
's CEQ chairman was
James L. Connaughton, serving from 2001 to 2009. He was formerly a partner at the law firm
Sidley Austin LLP, where he
lobbied
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
to reduce government regulation on behalf of clients including the
Aluminum Company of America
Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary ...
and the
Chemical Manufacturers Association of America.
During the Bush administration, there were concerns over links between CEQ staffers and the industries it oversaw.
BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
Environment Analyst
Roger Harrabin
Roger Harrabin (born 28 March 1955) is the BBC's energy and environment analyst, and one of their senior journalists on the environment and energy. He has broadcast on environmental issues since the 1980s and has won many awards in print, TV an ...
described it as "a hard-line group of advisers with close links to the
U.S. oil industry." One CEQ chief of staff under President Bush,
Philip Cooney
Philip A. Cooney (born July 16, 1959) is a former member of the administration of United States President George W. Bush. Before being appointed to chair the Council on Environmental Quality, he was a lawyer and lobbyist for the American Petro ...
, was previously a
lobbyist
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
employed by the
American Petroleum Institute
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent nearly 600 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of the p ...
. In June 2005, ''
The New York Times'' published an internal CEQ memo provided by federal
whistleblower Rick Piltz Frederick Steven "Rick" Piltz (July 29, 1943 – October 18, 2014) was a former senior associate in the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. In March 2005, he resigned over political interference in the program's climate change reports. In June 20 ...
. The memo showed Cooney had repeatedly edited government climate reports in order to play down links between
emissions and
global warming. Cooney, who claimed he had been planning to resign for two years, resigned two days after the scandal broke "to spend more time with his family." Immediately after resigning, Cooney went to work for
ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 3 ...
in their public affairs department. In 2005 Piltz created a watchdog organization Climate Science Watch, a program of the
Government Accountability Project
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is a nonprofit whistleblower protection and advocacy organization in the United States. It was founded in 1977.
Activities
In 1992, GAP represented Aldric Saucier, who had lost his job and security c ...
.
Obama administration
Under President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
,
Nancy Sutley
Nancy Helen Sutley led the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for five years during the administration of Barack Obama. She was unanimously confirmed for that post by the United States Senate on January 22, 2009. The CEQ coordinates ...
served as
Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality from January 2009 until February 2014. Following Sutley's departure,
Michael Boots served as acting head of the Council until March 2015.
Christy Goldfuss was appointed to succeed Boots, and served in the same capacity, as "managing director", until the end of Obama's term, in January 2017.
Trump administration
In October 2017, President
Donald Trump nominated
Kathleen Hartnett White, former chair of the
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the environmental agency for the state of Texas. The commission's headquarters are located at 12100 Park 35 Circle in Austin. The fourth largest environmental agency in the United States (a ...
, to be chair of CEQ. However, her nomination was withdrawn in February 2018 as she did not garner enough support in the Senate. CEQ chief of staff and acting head
Mary Neumayr was nominated and considered in summer 2018 as chair. She was confirmed in January 2019.
Biden administration
In December 2020, President Biden announced the selection of
Brenda Mallory as the next Chair of the CEQ. On March 24, 2021, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works committee voted 11-9 to approve her appointment. Mallory has prior experience with CEQ under the Obama Administration, having been the general counsel. At the time of her nomination, Mallory was the director of regulatory policy at the
Southern Environmental Law Center
Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is the largest 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit organization in the Southern region, with more than 80 attorneys and 75 staff members working at the local, state, and federal level to protect the environme ...
, an advocacy and litigation group. On April 14, 2021, Mallory was confirmed as the leader of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) by a 53-45 vote in the
United States Senate. She is the first African American chair of the CEQ.
Mallory took part in the virtual
2021 Leaders' Climate Summit
The 2021 Leaders' Summit on Climate was a virtual climate summit on April 22–23, 2021, organized by the Joe Biden administration, with leaders from various countries. At the summit Biden announced that greenhouse gas emissions by the United St ...
.
[whitehouse.gov]
''Mallory Begins Work as Chair with Focus on Environmental Justice''
(April 19, 2021)
Chair
The Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality serves as the principal environmental policy adviser to the US President. In addition, CEQ reports annually to the President on the state of the environment; oversees federal agency implementation of the
environmental impact assessment process; and acts as a referee when agencies disagree over the adequacy of such assessments. The Council coordinates federal environmental efforts and works closely with agencies and other White House offices in the development of environmental policies and initiatives.
See also
*
Executive Office of the President of the United States
*
The Global 2000 Report to the President
''The Global 2000 Report to the President'' was a 1980 report commissioned by President Jimmy Carter. It warned that world population growth
Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual glo ...
References
External links
Council on Environmental QualityProposed and finalized federal regulations from the Council on Environmental Quality
{{DEFAULTSORT:Council On Environmental Quality
Environmental law in the United States
Environmental policy in the United States
Executive Office of the President of the United States
George W. Bush administration controversies
1969 in the environment
1969 establishments in the United States
Government agencies established in 1969