May 8, 1998

Loyola endorses creation of National Institute for the Environment

Loyola joins more than 200 colleges and universities in endorsing the creation of the National Institute for the Environment (NIE).

The Committee for the National Institute of the Environment (CNIE) has proposed creating a NIE as a science-funding body chartered by Congress and funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF). The proposed NIE would be a national source of science for environmental decision making. It will assess current knowledge on environmental issues, and identify, prioritize, and fund research in sciences and other disciplines as needed to solve environmental problems. The NIE will not operate laboratories but will competitively award grants for peer-reviewed research at universities, government laboratories, nonprofit organizations, and private companies.

Thus far, H.R. 2914, the Sound Science for the Environment Act, which authorizes and directs NSF to establish the NIE, was introduced by Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI). The bill has 58 bi-partisan cosponsors. By endorsing the proposed NIE, Loyola recognized the possibilities to form new partnerships in environmental scholarship.

In future issues of Loyola Today, we will keep you informed about the progress of the NIE initiative.