The NELAC (National Environmental Accreditation Conference) On November 6, 2006, a giant step towards achieving a long-term goal of the environmental laboratory and monitoring communities to have a national accreditation program was realized. After years of an evolving program under the auspices of the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC) and the Institute for National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation (INELA), both Boards of Directors took action to form The NELAC Institute (TNI). The purpose of the organization is to foster the generation of environmental data of known and documented quality through an open, inclusive, and transparent process that is responsive to the needs of the community. As reflected in the new name, The NELAC Institute has combined the heritage of NELAC with the consensus process of INELA into one organization dedicated to the vision that all entities generating environmental data in the United States be accredited to a national standard.