Executive Order 12761

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to establish, in accordance with the goals and purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Environmental Quality Improvement Act of 1970, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.), and the National Environmental Education Act, Public Law 101-619, 104 Stat. 3325 (1990), an awards program to raise environmental awareness and to recognize outstanding achievements in the United States and in its territories in the areas of conservation and environmental protection by both the public and private sectors, it is hereby ordered as follows:

. Establishment.
 * The President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards program is established for the purposes of recognizing outstanding environmental achievements by U.S. citizens, enterprises, or programs; providing an incentive for environmental accomplishment; promoting cooperative partnerships between diverse groups working together to achieve common environmental goals; and identifying successful environmental programs that can be replicated.

. Administration.

. Awards.

. Eligibility.
 * Only residents of the United States and organizations, groups, or entities doing business in the United States are eligible to receive an award under this program. An award under this program shall be given only for achievements in the United States or its territories. Organizations, groups, or entities may be profit or nonprofit, public or private entities.

. Information System.
 * The Council on Environmental Quality shall establish and maintain a data bank with information about award nominees to catalogue and publicize model conservation or environmental protection programs which could be replicated.

, May 21, 1991.