Appendix 2: Environmental Quality Improvement Act

• Author: Nicholas C. Yost
• Pages: 53-56

Environmental Quality Improvement Act, 42 U.S.C. §§4371-4375 Page 53

Environmental Quality

Improvement Act

42 U.S.C. §§4371-4375

§4371 Congre ssional finding s, de clarations , and

purposes.

§4372 Office of Environ mental Quality.

§4373 Referra l of Envir onmental Qualit y Repo rts to

standi ng co mmittees having juri sdiction.

§4374 Authori zation of appropriat ions.

§4375 Office of Environ mental Quality Manag ement

Fund.

§4371. Congressional f‌indings,

declarations, and purposes

(a) e Congress nds—

(1) that man has caused chan ges in the environment;

(2) that many of these chan ges may aect the relation-

ship between man a nd his environment; and

(3) that population increases a nd urban concentration

contribute directly to pollution and t he degrad ation of

our environment.

(b)(1) e Congress decl ares that there is a national

policy for the environment which provides for t he

enhancement of environmental qua lity. is policy is

evidenced by statutes heretofore enac ted relating to the

prevention, abatement, and control of environmental

pollution, water and land resource s, transportation,

and economic and regional de velopment.

(2) e primary responsibility f or implementing thi s

policy rests with St ate and local government.

(3) e Federal Government encourages and suppor ts

implementation of this policy th rough appropriate

regional organi zations established under existing l aw.

(c) e purposes of this chapter are —

(1) to assure that each Federal depar tment and agency

conducting or supporting public works ac tivities which

aect the environment sha ll implement the policies

established under ex isting law; and

(2) to authorize an Oce of Environmenta l Quality,

which, notwithsta nding any other provision of law,

shall provide the professiona l and administrative sta

for the Council on Environmenta l Quality established

by Public Law 91–190.

(Pub. L. 91–224, title II, §202, Apr. 3, 1970, 84 Stat.

114.)

References in Text

Public Law 91–190, referred to in subsec. (c)(2), is Pub.

L. 91–190, Jan. 1, 1970, 83 Stat. 852, as amended,

known as the Nationa l Environmental Policy Act of

1969, which is classied generally to chapter 55 (§4321

et seq.) of this title. For complete classic ation of this

Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under sec -

tion 4321 of this title and Tables.

Short Title

Section 201 of Pub. L. 91–224 provided that: “is

title [enacting this c hapter] may be cited as t he ‘Envi-

ronmental Qualit y Improvement Act of 1970’.”

§4372. Off‌ice of Environmental Quality

(a) Establishment; Di rector; Deputy Director

ere is established in t he Executive Oce of the Pres-

ident an oce to be known as t he Oce of Environ-

mental Qualit y (hereafter in this chapter referred to as

the “Oce”). e Chairman of t he Council on Envi-

ronmental Qualit y established by Public Law 91–190

shall be the Direc tor of the Oce. ere sh all be in

the Oce a Deputy Director who sha ll be appointed

by the President, by and with the advice a nd consent of

the Senate.

(b) Compensation of Deputy Di rector

e compensation of the Deputy Director sha ll be

xed by the President at a rate not in excess of t he

annual rate of compensat ion payable to the Deputy

Director of the Oce of Mana gement and Budget .

(c) Employment of personnel, expert s, and consul-

tants; compen sation

e Director is authorized to employ such ocers

and employees (including expert s and consultants) as

may be necessar y to enable the Oce to carry out its

functions under th is chapter and Public Law 91–190,

except that he may employ no more than ten specia l-

ists and other exper ts without regard to the provisions

of title 5, governing appointments in the competiti ve

service, and pay suc h specialists and experts wit hout

regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter

III of chapter 53 of such title relating to cla ssication

and General Schedule pay r ates, but no such specialist

or expert shall b e paid at a rate in excess of the maxi-

mum rate for GS–18 of the General Schedule under

section 5332 of title 5.