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U.S. Government Information: Federal Advisory Committees

Guide to information resources by and about the federal government.

About Federal Advisory Committees (FACA)

The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) applies to the "numerous committees, boards, commissions, councils, and similar groups which have been established to advise officers and agencies in the executive branch of the Federal Government and that...are frequently a useful and beneficial means of furnishing expert advice, ideas, and diverse opinions to the Federal Government."  FACA requires that Congress and the public be kept informed about the existence and activities of these committees, which is accomplished primarily through the FACA Database.

From the database home page, click "agencies/committees" to see committees by agency.

From that page, clicking the arrow next to an agency will show a full list of the agency's current and terminated committees; the "committee reports" link provides charter dates and brief information about the committee. Clicking the name of an agency will show contact info for FACA personnel. The "agency reports" links lead to information about charter dates, committee group names, subcommittees, performance measures (e.g. significant program outcomes, associated cost savings, number of recommendations made, percentage of recommendations implemented by agency), number of committees (including breakdown by authority, type, etc.), and more.

The FACA database does not include text of committee reports, meeting minutes, etc. For those and similar materials, you should check the committee's website. It is *generally* possible to find the committee's website address using the database "search" feature, but I have found a general Google search to be quicker and more accurate.

The list below is a highly selective list of current advisory committees, with an emphasis on those related to science and environmental issues.

Committee Information

Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV)  
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)   
Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC)  
Bears Ears National Monument Advisory Committee  
Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC)   
Board of Scientific Counselors National Center for Health Statistics (BSC,NCHS) inactive/unavailable 2/25; links to Internet Archive
California Desert District Advisory Council  
Census National Advisory Committee (NAC)  
Census Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC)  
Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC)  
Clean Air Act Advisory Committee (CAAAC)   
Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC)   inactive/unavailable 2/25 
Defense Science Board (DSB) (see also, older archive)  
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee  
Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB)  
EPA Board of Scientific Counselors (EPA BOSC)  
EPA National Advisory Committee (NAC) and Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)    
EPA Science Advisory Board (EPA SAB)  inactive/unavailable 2/25
Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC)  
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP)  
Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB)  
Great Lakes Advisory Board (GLAB)  
Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System Advisory Board (e-Manifest)  
Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC)  
Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee (HSSTAC)  
Human Studies Review Board (HSRB)  
Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC)  
NASA Advisory Council (NAC)  
NASA Applied Sciences Advisory Committee (ASAC)  
NASA Astrophysics Advisory Committee (APAC)  
NASA Earth Science Advisory Committee (ESAC)  
NASA Heliophysics Advisory Committee (HPAC)  
NASA NAC Science Committee  
NASA Planetary Science Advisory Committee (PAC)  
National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council (NAEHSC)  
National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC)  
National Environmental Education Advisory Council (NEEAC)  
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC)  
National Park System Advisory Board  
National Wildlife Services Advisory Committee (NWSAC)  
NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB)  
Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC)  
Ocean Exploration Advisory Board (OEAB)  
Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC)  
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)  
Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC)  
Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration  
Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory Committee (SESAC)  
Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB)  
Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission (decommissioned 12/20; see archive)