National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT or Council) in 1988 to provide independent advice to the EPA Administrator on a broad range of environmental policy, technology and management issues. NACEPT is subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). 

EPA recognizes that a vast array of environmental policy perspectives exist outside the Agency in the public, private and non-profit sectors. NACEPT helps EPA to gain broad points of views from a diverse range of interest groups that would otherwise be unavailable to the Agency. NACEPT provides a cost-effective and efficient forum that can quickly respond to continually evolving policy challenges.

Structure

The NACEPT Council is comprised of a Chair, the NACEPT Designated Federal Officer (DFO), and committee members as identified by the Administrator or Deputy Administrator.  Council members serve as representatives from academia, business and industry, non-governmental organizations, and state, local, and tribal governments.
Council members may serve on NACEPT subcommittes and often serve as members
of other ad hoc work groups. Subcommittees formed under NACEPT auspices operate
by the rules of NACEPT, and may not function or report recommendations
independently of the Council.

Accomplishments

Since 1988, the Council has convened approximately 30 subcommittees and involved
more than 900 stakeholder representatives. The Council has approved and published
over 80 major reports containing over 1,500 recommendations to the
EPA Administrator on a variety of issues. 
More recently, the Council has provided recommendations to EPA on environmental justice communities and other vulnerable populations, workforce planning and leadership development, and incorporating sustainability.