Council on Environmental Quality

Information about Council on Environmental Quality

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is a division of the White House that coordinates federal environmental efforts in the United States and works closely with agencies and other White House offices in the development of environmental and energy policies and initiatives.

The United States Congress established the CEQ within the Executive Office of the President as part of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Additional responsibilities were provided by the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970.

The Council's current chairman, James L. Connaughton, was appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. Former chairmen include James Speth.

The CEQ reports annually to the President on the state of the environment; oversees federal agency implementation of the environmental impact assessment process; and acts as a referee when agencies disagree over the adequacy of such assessments.

Staff links to industry

There has been concern over links between staff members and industry. The organisation was described as "a hard-line group of advisers with close links to the US oil industry".[1]

CEQ chairman James L. Connaughton was formerly a partner at law firm Sidley Austin LLP[2], where he lobbyed to reduce government regulation on behalf of clients including the Aluminum Company of America and the Chemical Manufacturers Association of America.[3][4]

Former CEQ chief of staff Philip Cooney, was previously a lobbyist employeed by the American Petroleum Institute.[5] In June 2005, the New York Times published a memo internal to the CEQ which showed he had repeatedly edited government climate reports in order to play down links between emissions and global warming. Cooney, who says he had been planning to resign for two years, resigned two days later this scandal "to spend more time with his family." [6] Immediately after resigning, Mr. Cooney went to work for ExxonMobil in their public affairs department.[7]

Notes and references

1. ^ "Links to oil industry," BBC
2. ^ "Connaughton Whitehouse bio," whitehouse.gov
3. ^ "Connaughton EarthJustice profile," earthjustice.org
4. ^ "Earth Shakers: The Counter-Enviro Power List," Outside Magazine
5. ^ "Lobbyist for API," New York Times
6. ^ "Cooney resignation," New York Times
7. ^ "Cooney move to ExxonMobil," The Guardian

See also

 •  • [ e]
Agencies under the Executive Office of the President
White House Chief of Staff
Deputy White House Chief of Staff
White House Press Secretary • White House Counsel • White House Office of Presidential Communications • White House Office of Presidential Speechwriting • White House Office • White House Office of the Executive Clerk • Office of Management and Budget • National Security Council • Homeland Security Council • Office of the United States Trade Representative • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Council of Economic Advisers • Council on Environmental Quality • Domestic Policy Council • National Economic Council • Office of Administration • Office of Advance • Office of Scheduling • White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives • United States Office of National AIDS Policy • Office of Science and Technology Policy • President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board • President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board • USA Freedom Corps • White House Military Office
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For other uses of "NEPA", see NEPA (disambiguation).
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law that was signed into law on January 1, 1970 by U.S. President Richard Nixon.
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James Laurence Connaughton (born May, 1961), a presidential appointee in the administration of George W. Bush. He is the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
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United States Senate

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President of the Senate Richard B. Cheney, R
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President pro tempore Robert C. Byrd, D
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Members 100
Political groups Democratic Party
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James Gustave (Gus) Speth (born March 4 1942) is an American environmental lawyer and activist.

He was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina in 1942. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University in 1964, attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from
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James Laurence Connaughton (born May, 1961), a presidential appointee in the administration of George W. Bush. He is the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
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Sidley Austin LLP
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# of Attorneys 1700+
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Philip A. Cooney (born July 16, 1959), a former member of the administration of President George W. Bush. Before serving in the federal government, he was a lawyer and lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute.
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The American Petroleum Institute, commonly referred to as API, is the main U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry, representing about 400 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of the industry.
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Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.

The global average air temperature near the Earth's surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.
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Public (NYSE:  XOM )
Founded 1999 (merger)
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