This page contains information on Federal Advisory Committees related to energy and environmental issues at various agencies.
Click an agency name to jump down the page to that particular agency’s listing.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC)
Mission and Objectives
The EPA Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) will provide advice and recommendations on all aspects (technical and management) of the Office of Research and Development’s (ORD) research program. As appropriate, the BOSC will consult and coordinate its work with the EPA Science Advisory Board. The major objectives are to provide advice and recommendations on:
- ORD’s research programs and research management practices, and actions to improve research program quality, relevance, and performance, as well as program structure, scientific leadership, research coordination, communication, and outcomes;
- ORD’s program development, progress, and research program balance, which may include evaluation of ORD’s Strategic Research Action Plans and Cross-cutting Research Roadmaps;
- Use of peer review within ORD to sustain and enhance the quality of science in EPA;
- Scientific and management issues specific to ORD Offices, National Laboratories, and Centers; and
- ORD’s human resources planning, such as scientist career development and rotational assignment programs, and the appropriate scope and design of training programs for environmental research professionals.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact: Tom Tracy – tracy.tom@epa.gov or (202) 564-6518
Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC)
Mission and Objectives
CHPAC is a policy-oriented committee that provides policy advice, information, and recommendations to assist EPA in the development of regulations, guidance, and policies to address children’s environmental health.
The major objectives are to provide policy advice and recommendations on:
Policy issues associated with regulations, economics, and outreach/communications to address prevention of adverse health effects to children, and improve the breadth and depth of analyses related to these efforts;
Critical policy and technical issues relating to children’s health.
Agency Contact
Angela Hackel – hackel.angela@epa.gov or 202-564-2977
Clean Air Act Advisory Committee (CAAAC)
Mission and Objectives
The CAAAC provides advice, information, and recommendations on policy and technical issues associated with implementation of the Clean Air Act (the Act). These issues include the development, implementation, and enforcement of programs required by the Act. The CAAAC may advise on issues that cut across several program areas.
The duties of the CAAAC are solely to provide advice to EPA. The CAAAC provides advice and recommendations on:
- Approaches for new and expanded programs, including those using innovative technologies and policy mechanisms to achieve environmental improvements.
- The potential health, environmental, and economic effects of Clean Air Act programs on the public, the regulated community, State and local governments, and other Federal agencies.
- The policy and technical contents of proposed major EPA rulemaking and guidance required by the Act in order to help effectively incorporate appropriate outside advice and information.
- The integration of existing policies, regulations, standards, guidelines, and procedures into programs for implementing requirements of the Act.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact: Tamara Saltman – saltman.tamara@epa.gov or 202-564-2781
Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC)
Mission and Objectives
The duties of CASAC are to provide advice and recommendations to EPA. The CASAC is identified as a scientific/technical advisory committee. As required by CAA section 109(d), the CASAC will:
- Review the criteria published under section 108 of the Clean Air Act and the national primary and secondary ambient air quality standards and recommend to the Administrator any new national ambient air quality standards and revisions of existing criteria and standards as may be appropriate;
- Advise the Administrator of areas in which additional knowledge is required to appraise the adequacy and basis of existing, new, or revised national ambient air quality standards;
- Describe the research efforts necessary to provide the required information;
- Advise the Administrator on the relative contribution to air pollution concentrations of natural as well as anthropogenic activity; and
- Advise the Administrator of any adverse public health, welfare, social, economic, or energy effects which may result from various strategies for attainment and maintenance of such national ambient air quality standards.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Aaron Yeow – yeow.aaron@epa.gov or (202) 564-2050
Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB)
Mission and Objectives
There are many critical environmental financing issues facing our nation. Environmental legislation places significant additional resource requirements on all levels of government, increasing their infrastructure and administrative costs. At the same time, limited budgets and economic challenges have constrained traditional sources of capital. Growing needs and expectations for environmental protection, as well as increasing demands in all municipal service areas, make it difficult for state and local governments to find the resources to meet their needs. The resulting strain on the public sector challenges the quality and delivery of environmental services.
The major objectives are to provide policy advice and recommendations on:
Reducing the cost of financing sustainable environmental facilities, discouraging polluting behavior, and encouraging stewardship of natural resources;
Creating incentives to increase private investment in the provision of environmental services and removing or reducing constraints on private involvement imposed by current regulations;
Developing new and innovative environmental financing approaches and supporting and encouraging the use of cost-effective existing approaches;
Identifying approaches specifically targeted to small community financing;
Assessing government strategies for implementing public-private partnerships, including privatization and operations and maintenance issues, and other alternative financing mechanisms;
Improving governmental principles of accounting and disclosure standards to help improve sustainability of environmental programs;
Increasing the capacity of state and local governments to carry out their respective environmental programs under current Federal tax laws;
Increasing the total investment in environmental protection and stewardship of public and private environmental resources to help ease the environmental financing challenge facing our nation; and
Removing barriers and increasing opportunities for the U.S. financial services and environmental goods and services industries in other nations.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Michael Shapiro – shapiro.mike@epa.gov or (202) 564-5700
Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board (ELAB)
Mission and Objectives
ELAB provides advice, information, and recommendations to EPA’ s Administrator
and Science Advisor on issues related to:
- Enhancing EPA’s measurement programs in areas such as:
- Validating and disseminating methods for sample collection and for
biological, chemical, radiological, and toxicological analysis; - Developing scientifically rigorous, statistically sound, and representative
measurements; - Employing the performance paradigm in environmental monitoring and
regulatory programs; - Improving communications and outreach between the EPA and its
stakeholder communities; and - Employing a quality systems approach that ensures that the data gathered
and used by the Agency are of known and documented quality.
- Validating and disseminating methods for sample collection and for
- Facilitating the operation and expansion of a national environmental accreditation
program. In this regard, ELAB will provide advice and recommendations to EPA
on issues that impact the non-governmental community that are related to:- The operation and expansion of a national accreditation program
characterized by an acceptance of the program by all states and suitable
for accrediting environmental laboratories or entities of all sizes and types;
and - Steps that need to be taken in order to facilitate the further implementation
of the performance paradigm in the nation’s environmental monitoring
and environmental accreditation programs.
- The operation and expansion of a national accreditation program
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Committee Members
Subcommittees
Agency Contact
Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC)
Mission and Objectives
The FRRCC is a policy-oriented committee that provides policy advice, information, and recommendations to the Administrator on a range of environmental issues and policies that are of importance to agriculture and rural communities.
It is intended that the members of the committee will address specific topics of unique relevance to agriculture as identified by the Agricultural Counselor to the Administrator, in such a way as to provide thoughtful advice and useful insights to the Agency as it crafts environmental policies and programs that affect and engage agriculture and rural communities.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Lena Ferris – ferris.lena@epa.gov or (202) 564-8831
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP)
Mission and Objectives
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) provides independent scientific advice to the EPA on health and safety issues related to pesticides. The FIFRA SAP is comprised of biologists, statisticians, toxicologists and other experts and is augmented by members of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Science Review Board (SRB).
The duties of the FIFRA SAP are solely to provide advice to the EPA. The FIFRA SAP will provide comments, evaluations, and recommendations on:
The impact on health and the environment of matters arising under Sections 6(b), 6(c) and 25(a) of FIFRA
Analyses, reports and operating guidelines to improve the effectiveness and quality of scientific analyses made by EPA
Analyses Guidelines to improve the effectiveness and quality of scientific testing and of data submitted to EPA
Methods to ensure that pesticides do not cause “unreasonable adverse effects on the environment,” as defined in Section 2 (bb) of FIFRA
Major scientific studies (whether conducted by EPA or other parties) supporting actions under Sections 6(b), 6(c), and 25(a) of FIFRA
Major pesticide and pesticide-related scientific studies and issues in the form of a
peer review
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Steven Knott – knott.steven@epa.gov or (202) 564-8450
Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB)
Mission and Objectives
The Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB or Board) is an independent federal advisory committee. Its mission is to advise the President and Congress of the United States on good neighbor practices along the U.S. border with Mexico. Its recommendations are focused on environmental infrastructure needs within the U.S. states contiguous to Mexico. The Board does not carry out any specific border program. Rather its role is to step back as a strategic adviser and analyze the big picture when it comes to the problems the border region faces, as well as the opportunities at hand.
The GNEB provides advice, information and recommendations on the need for implementation of environmental and infrastructure projects “within the States of the United States contiguous to Mexico in order to improve the quality of life of persons residing on the United States side of the border.”
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Mark Joyce – joyce.mark@epa.gov or (202) 564-2130
Governmental Advisory Committee to the United States Representative to the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (GAC)
Mission and Objectives
The GAC will provide advice, information and recommendations on specific governmental issues. The GAC will evaluate a broad range of environment-related strategic, scientific, technological, regulatory and economic issues to be addressed in implementation and elaboration of the NAAEC.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Oscar Carrillo – carrillo.oscar@epa.gov or (202) 564-0347
Great Lakes Advisory Board (GLAB)
Mission and Objectives
The Advisory Board will provide advice and recommendations on matters related to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Advisory Board will also advise on domestic matters related to the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the U.S. and Canada.
The duties of the Advisory Board are solely to provide advice and recommendations to the EPA Administrator through the Great Lakes National Program Manager. The major objectives will be to provide advice and recommendations on:
- Great Lakes protection and restoration activities.
- Long term goals, objectives and priorities for Great Lakes protection and restoration.
- Other issues identified by the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force/Regional Working Group.
EPA Seeks Nominations for Members of Great Lakes Advisory Board – Feb. 21, 2019
Request for Nominations to the Great Lakes Advisory Board – Federal Register Notice Feb. 21, 2019
Agency Contact – Edlynzia Barnes barnes.edlynzia@epa.gov or 312-886-6249
Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System Advisory Board (e-Manifest Board)
Mission and Objectives
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Fred Jenkins – jenkins.fred@epa.gov or (703) 308-7049
Human Studies Review Board (HSRB)
Mission and Objectives
The Human Studies Review Board (HSRB) will provide advice, information, and recommendations on issues related to scientific and ethical aspects of human subjects research. The major objectives are to provide advice and recommendations on: Research proposals and protocols; reports of completed research with human subjects; and how to strengthen EPA’s programs for protection of human subjects of research.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Thomas J. O’Farrell – O’Farrell.thomas@epa.gov or (202) 564-2468
Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC)
Mission and Objectives
The Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. App. 2 supports the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in providing independent, policy oriented advisory committee. The LGAC provides advice and recommendations to the EPA to assist the agency in ensuring that its regulations, policies, guidance, and technical assistance improve the capacity of local governments to carry-out these programs and to enhance its partnership on cooperative federalism.
The LGAC provides independent policy advice to the EPA Administrator on:
- Changes needed to allow flexibility and innovation and to accommodate local needs without compromising environmental performance, accountability, or fairness;
- Ways to improve performance measurement and speed dissemination of new environmental protection techniques and technologies among local governments;
- Ways in which the EPA and states can help local governments strengthen their capacity to promote environmental quality, including public access, community right-to-know, and performance measurement;
- Projects to help local governments deal with the challenge of financing environmental protection infrastructure; and,
- EPA’s policies, procedures, and practices regarding local government (development, implementation, and evaluation) including how those policies, procedures and practices further the Administrator’s priorities regarding cooperative federalism, water and water infrastructure, regulatory innovation, energy, air quality, and community revitalization, among others.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Frances Eargle – eargle.frances@epa.gov or (202) 564-3115
National Advisory Committee to the United States Representative to the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (NAC)
Mission and Objectives
The NAC will provide advice, information and recommendations on a broad range of environment-related strategic, scientific, technological, regulatory and economic issues to be addressed in implementation and elaboration of the NAAEC.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact –
Oscar Carrillo – carrillo.oscar@epa.gov or (202) 564-0347
National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT)
Mission and Objectives
NACEPT’s scope involves advising the EPA Administrator on a broad range of crosscutting issues associated with EPA’s environmental management on matters relating to activities and functions under federal environmental statutes, executive orders, regulations, and policies. NACEPT advises on ways to improve the development and implementation of domestic and international environmental management policies, programs, and technologies.
The major objectives are to provide advice and recommendations on:
- Identifying approaches to improve the development and implementation of domestic and international environmental management policies and programs;
- Providing guidance on how EPA can most efficiently and effectively implement innovative approaches throughout the Agency and its programs;
- Identifying approaches to enhance information and technology planning;
- Fostering improved approaches to environmental management in the fields of economics, finance, and technology;
- Increasing communication and understanding among all levels of government, business, non-governmental organizations, academia, and tribal governments/communities, with the goal of increasing non-federal resources and improving the effectiveness of federal and non-federal resources directed at solving environmental problems; and
- Implementing statutes, executive orders and regulations, as well as reviewing and assessing progress in their implementation.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Eugene Green – green.eugene@epa.gov or (202) 564-2432
National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC)
Mission and Objectives
NDWAC will provide advice, information, and recommendations on matters related to activities, functions, policies, and regulations of the EPA Designated Federal Official under the Safe Drinking Water Act, including:
- Providing practical and independent advice on matters and policies related to drinking water quality and public health protection.
- Maintaining an awareness of developing issues and problems in the drinking water area and advising EPA on emerging issues.
- Advising on regulations and guidance as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.
- Recommending policies with respect to the promulgation of drinking water standards.
- Recommending special studies and research.
- Assisting in identifying emerging environmental or health problems related to potentially hazardous constituents in drinking water.
- Proposing actions to encourage cooperation and communication between EPA and other governmental agencies, interest groups, the general public, and technical associations and organizations on drinking water quality.
- Analyzing sustainable infrastructure issues with special emphasis on the security of the nation’s drinking water systems.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Tracey Ward – ward.tracey@epa.gov or (202) 564-3796
National Environmental Education Advisory Council (NEEAC)
Mission and Objectives
The NEEAC will provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator on environmental education matters as required by the Act, including preparation of a biennial report to Congress assessing environmental education in the United States. With respect to such matters, the Council shall be the exclusive advisory entity for the Administrator. The Council may exchange information with other Advisory Councils established by the Administrator.
The sole duty of the NEEAC is to provide advice to EPA. The NEEAC will provide advice and recommendations on matters as required by the Act, including:
- EPA’s solicitation, review, and selection processes for environmental education training and grant programs
- The merits of individual proposals to operate the § 5 training program and the § 6 grant program, as requested by EPA
- Nominations of § 8 Environmental Award recipients
- Other environmental education issues, including matters relating to activities, functions, and policies of EPA under the Act
- A biennial report to Congress as required by § 9(d)(1), which will:
- describe and assess the extent and quality of environmental education in the Nation;
- provide a general description of the activities conducted pursuant to this Act and related authorities over the previous 2-year period;
- summarize major obstacles to improving environmental education (including environmental education programs relating to national parks and wildlife refuges) and make recommendations for addressing such obstacles;
- identify personnel skills, education, and training needed to respond to current and anticipated environmental problems and make recommendations for actions to assure sufficient educational and training opportunities in these professions; and
- describe and assess the extent and quality of environmental education programs available to senior Americans and make recommendations thereon; describe the various Federal agency programs to further senior environmental education; and evaluate and make recommendations as to how such educational apparatuses could best be coordinated with nonprofit senior organizations across the Nation, and environmental education institutions and organizations now in existence.
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Javier Araujo – araujo.javier@epa.gov or (202) 564-2642
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC)
Mission and Objectives
The NEJAC provides independent advice and recommendations to the Administrator about broad, cross-cutting issues related to environmental justice. The NEJAC’s efforts include evaluation of a broad range of strategic, scientific, technological, regulatory, community engagement and economic issues related to environmental justice.
The duties of the NEJAC are solely to advise the EPA. The NEJAC provides advice and recommendations about EPA efforts to:
Integrate environmental justice considerations into Agency programs, policies and activities
Improve the environment or public health in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms and risks
Address environmental justice to ensure meaningful involvement in EPA decision making, build capacity in disproportionately-burdened communities, and promote collaborative problem-solving for issues involving environmental justice
Strengthen its partnerships with other governmental agencies, such as other Federal agencies and state, tribal, or local governments, regarding environmental justice issues
Enhance research and assessment approaches related to environmental justice
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Matthew Tejada – tejada.matthew@epa.gov or (202) 564-8047
Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC)
Mission and Objectives
EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is entrusted with the important responsibilities of ensuring that Americans are not exposed to unsafe levels of pesticides in food, protecting from unreasonable risk and educating those who apply or are exposed to pesticides occupationally or through use of products, and protecting the environment and special ecosystems from potential risks posed by pesticides.
PPDC is a policy-oriented committee that will provide policy advice, information and recommendations to EPA. PPDC will provide a public forum to discuss a wide variety of pesticide regulatory development and reform initiatives, evolving public policy and program implementation issues, and policy issues associated with evaluating and reducing risks from use of pesticides.
The major objectives are to provide policy advice, information and recommendations on:
- Developing practical, protective approaches for addressing pesticide regulatory policy, program implementation, environmental, technical, economic; and other policy issues; and
- Reviewing proposed modifications to OPP’s current policies and procedures, including the technical and economic feasibility of any proposed regulatory changes to the current process of registering and re-registering pesticides
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Dea Zimmerman – zimmerman.dea@epa.gov or (312) 353-6344
Science Advisory Board (SAB)
Mission and Objectives
Committee Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact – Thomas Carpenter – carpenter.thomas@epa.gov or (202) 564-4885
Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC)
Mission and Objectives
The SACC will provide independent advice and expert consultation, at the request of the EPA Administrator, with respect to the scientific and technical aspects of issues relating to the implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (the Act), which amends the Toxic Substances Control Act.
The duties of the SACC are solely advisory in nature. The SACC will provide expert scientific advice, information, and recommendations to EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) on chemicals regulated under the Act, including:
- Review of: risk assessments; models; tools; guidance documents; chemical category documents; and other chemical assessment products as deemed appropriate, that are prepared by OPPT; and
- Addressing other scientific and technical issues that OPPT identifies as critical to implementing the Act.
U.S. Department of Energy
Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee (ASCAC)
Mission and Objectives
Committee Web Page
Committee Charter
Committee Members
Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact
Appliance Standard and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee (ASRAC)
Mission and Objectives
Committee Web Page
Committee Charter
Committee Members
Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact
Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC)
Mission and Objectives
Committee Web Page
Committee Charter
Committee Members
Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact
Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC)
Mission and Objectives
Committee Web Page
Committee Charter
Committee Members
Membership Balance Plan
Agency Contact
Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee
Mission and Objectives
Defense Programs Federal Advisory Committee
Mission and Objectives
DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC)
Mission and Objectives
Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC)
Mission and Objectives
Environmental Management Advisory Board (EMAB)
Mission and Objectives
Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EMSSAB)
Mission and Objectives
Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC)
Mission and Objectives
High Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP)
Mission and Objectives
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC)
Mission and Objectives
Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee (MHAC)
Mission and Objectives
National Coal Council (NCC)
Mission and Objectives
National Petroleum Council (NPC)
Mission and Objectives
Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee (NEAC)
Mission and Objectives
President’s Council of Advisory on Science and Technology (PCAST)
Mission and Objectives
Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB)
Mission and Objectives
State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB)
Mission and Objectives
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Facts of FACA
Additional resources on the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)
Additional Resources
U.S. Government Accountability Office
- EPA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD: Policy Statement on Science Quality and Integrity
- EPA SCIENCE ADVISORY PANELS: Preliminary Observations on the Processes for Providing Scientific Advice
- EPA’S SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD: Improved Procedures Needed to Process Congressional Requests for Scientific Advice
- FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT: Issues Related to the Independence and Balance of Advisory Committees
- FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT: General Services Administration’s Management of Advisory Committee Activities
- FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT: Views of Committee Members and Agencies on Federal Advisory Committee Issues
- FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT: Advisory Committee Process Appears to Be Working, but Concerns Exist