The Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) is the final EPA decision maker on administrative appeals under all major environmental statutes that EPA administers. Located in Washington, DC, the EAB is an impartial tribunal independent for substantive purposes of all Agency components outside the Immediate Office of the Administrator.  The EAB’s caseload consists primarily of appeals from permit decisions and administrative civil penalty decisions, as well as petitions for reimbursement of costs incurred in complying with cleanup orders issued under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Private parties may appeal an EAB decision in federal court. The four judges on the EAB sit in panels of three and make decisions by majority vote.  Seven counsel and two administrative professionals provide support to the judges. Learn more about the Board.

The 2017 EAB Honors Clerkship Program is a highly competitive two-year clerkship that begins in Fall 2017.  The key objectives are to provide recent law school graduates with the opportunity to practice public sector environmental law and to provide the EAB with highly motivated, talented, and diverse entry-level lawyers who are interested in a variety of legal work on cutting-edge administrative and environmental law issues.

The EAB recognizes the need for attorneys of varied backgrounds and skills and offers an inclusive environment that relies on those diverse perspectives to ensure that we effectively serve the American people. The EAB Honors Clerk will experience a new era of outreach and protection for communities historically underrepresented in EPA decision-making.  The Agency is building strong working relationships with tribes, communities of color, economically distressed cities and towns, young people and others, but this is just a start. Therefore, we want to make sure we are recruiting the best, the brightest and most diverse EPA ever and ensure EPA is a place for people who are talented, smart, and interested in environmental protection.

Who Should Apply?

The 2017 EAB Honors Clerkship Program is open to highly qualified applicants with outstanding academic records who are current third-year law students or graduate law students receiving their degree by June 2017, or recent law school graduates completing a judicial clerkship or a legal fellowship by October 2017.  The EAB is seeking applicants with excellent analytical and writing abilities, a strong commitment to public service, effective “people” skills, and a demonstrated ability to take on significant responsibility.

Law clerks must be U.S. citizens. EPA is an equal opportunity employer.  Selection for this position will be based solely on merit without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status or other differences.  Veterans are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

 Email as one PDF file:

• A cover letter,
• Resume
• Unofficial law school transcript, and
• Three professional references whom the EAB may contact upon receipt of your application.  At least one reference must be a current or former supervisor (or someone else very well familiar with the quality, complexity, and scope of your work).

Note: The EAB also requests applicants to submit a voluntary Demographic Information Form OMB No. 3046-0046 (Vacancy Announcement No. - leave blank), which the EAB will use to determine the effectiveness of our outreach efforts.

Applications must be e-mailed to EAB_Hiring@epa.gov (there is an underscore "_" between "EAB" and "Hiring") by 5:00 pm EDT September 19, 2016.  Please ensure your name is on each page of your submission and your pages are sequentially numbered (e.g., Jane Doe, page 1 of10).

Applications not emailed by this date and time will not be considered.  Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Selected applicants will be invited for interviews, at the candidate’s expense, in Washington, DC, or by telephone or videoconference.  The EAB expects to make an offer by October 2016.

Program Contact Information

Annette Duncan
Phone: (202) 233-0122
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
WJC East Room 3332; MC 1103M
Washington DC 20460

Benefits

This is a full-time, two-year appointment paid at the GS-11 level, with promotion potential to the GS-12 level after one year.  Available benefits include annual and sick leave, health insurance, life insurance, flexible work schedules, family medical leave, Thrift Savings Plan, and transit subsidy.

If you are selected for the position, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.