EPA budget cuts

[gkripke@Essential.ORG]

Posting from Gawain Kripke <gkripke@Essential.ORG>

Friends of the Earth: Appropriations Update

 Cuts & Bruises: 
 The House Slashes EPA Programs 

Overview 

On July 31, the House of Representatives approved an annual spending bill,
H.R. 2099, that severely cuts funding for environmental programs. The
budget cuts will undermine the Environmental Protection Agency's ability
to protect the environment, enforce the law, clean up contamination, and
assure clean air, water and food for Americans. Overall, the EPA budget
was slashed by 33 percent, more drastic than any other major federal
agency or department. Under the appropriations bill, next year's EPA
budget will be $4.9 billion, down from $7.2 billion in fiscal year 1995
(this year). 

Defunding Environmental Protection 

Many of the budget cuts will be determined by the Administrator of the
EPA. But the House appropriations bill targets many key environmental
programs for cuts: 

 SOFT ON CRIME. The bill slashes funding for enforcing
 environmental laws. EPA's enforcement activities
 would be cut deeply: $280 million or about half of
 the enforcement budget. This cut means that EPA
 will not be able to conduct inspections, monitor
 compliance, prosecute violations, nor assist in
 correcting problems. Cuts in enforcement will hurt
 responsible businesses by allowing unscrupulous
 competitors to violate environmental laws without
 paying any penalty.

 SEWAGE. The bill cuts $760 million from the clean
 water and drinking water infrastructure. These funds
 are to assist states and tribes building wastewater
 treatment projects, basic sanitation, and drinking water
 facilities. The budget cut will mean more sewage
 discharge into rivers, lakes, and beaches, and more
 contamination of drinking water by toxins and disease. 
 Nearly 29 million Americans drink inadequately treated water. 

 CLIMATE CHANGE. The bill would cut $11.4 million from programs to
 reduce energy consumption and air pollution, including successful
 voluntary programs to encourage businesses to save money and reduce 
 energy consumption. These are exactly the kinds of
 programs that conservatives have been calling for. 

 ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES. Elimination of the EPA's Environmental
 Technology Initiative means the U.S. will fall further behind in the 
 highly competitive and growing $600 billion world market environmental 
 technologies. While other countries such as Germany, the
 Netherlands, Japan, and Canada are developing new, cleaner technologies
 to meet higher standards of efficiency and sustainability, the House 
 seems to think we should simply lower our standards. 

 WATER IGNORANCE. The bill cuts $35 million from activities to collect
 and monitor data on water quality, leaving the public with no
 information on whether rivers are safe to swim in, or shellfish safe 
 to eat. 

 STOPPING CLEANUPS. Approximately one in four Americans lives within
 four miles of a Superfund site. However, the bill would cut
 approximately $400 million, or about 30 percent, from the Superfund 
 program and severely limits EPA's ability to recover the costs of
 cleanup from polluters. In addition, cleanups already in progress
 could be halted and no new cleanups could be started. The bill also 
 plays an accounting trick which will mean that taxpayers have to pick 
 up the tab for Superfund cleanups rather than using funds raised from
 polluting industries and chemicals. 

 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. The bill cuts $2.6 million from the tiny EPA
 environmental justice program, which seeks to address disproportionate 
 impacts on minority and disadvantaged populations. 

 GULF OF MEXICO. The bill cuts more than $20 million from EPA programs
 to assist 5 states preserve habitat, address ecological problems, and 
 reduce public exposure to toxins in the Gulf of Mexico region. 

What about a balanced budget? 

Cutting the EPA budget is not a serious way to reduce the federal budget
deficit. At approximately $7 billion, the EPA budget is less than
one-half of one percent of the federal budget. While Congress faces
severe budget constraints, the priorities embodied in the appropriations
bill are distinctly anti-environmental. The budget and appropriations
process have become the focus of the anti-environmental agenda in
Congress. Because this legislation is "must pass"-- or else the federal
government will grind to a halt -- it provides a powerful vehicle for the
anti- environmental agenda and special interest polluters. 

Outlook 

The House has completed action on H.R. 2099. The Senate Appropriations
Committee will take up the bill in early September and the full Senate
will consider the bill shortly after. 

For more information, contact Gawain Kripke, Friends of the Earth, 
phone: 202/783-7400 ext. 212 or internet: foe@essential.org

 Updated August 10, 1995

[This update includes two graphs depicting the EPA's budget cut and EPA's 
relative budget size. If you would like the faxed version, including the 
graphs, please email your fax number.]