EPA's FY 2008 Budget Focuses on Next Phase of Environmental Progress

Category: Agriculture
Type: News
Source: EPA
Date: Monday, February 5th, 2007

(Washington, D.C. - Feb. 5, 2007) Pointing to 36 years of progress under both Republican and Democratic administrations, E.P.A. Administrator Stephen L. Johnson today released his agency's $7.2 billion fiscal year 2008 budget. The new budget emphasizes using more citizen-partners as E.P.A. shifts into the next phase of environmental progress - the green culture.

"As our nation shifts to a green culture, Americans are realizing that environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility. Today, E.P.A. has 300 million citizen-partners in our efforts to accelerate the pace of environmental protection," said E.P.A. Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "President Bush's budget request will fund EPA's role as our country enters this next phase of environmental progress."

The suggested 2008 spending project includes $549.5 million for enforcement operations, the biggest amount ever dedicated to that agency responsibility. It is a $9.1 million increase over the fiscal year 2007 amount.

This budget also features a major effort to restore, enhance and protect 4 of the nation's most important water assets.

Chesapeake Bay: An additional $2 million, for a total of $28.8 million, to build on the continuing efforts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, increase the pace of restoration, and implement the most cost-effective nutrient and sediment controls and key habitat restoration strategies.

Puget Sound: $1 million to focus on the highest-priority environmental challenges such as improving water quality, lifting shellfish harvest restrictions, and cleaning up contaminated sediments.

Gulf of Mexico: $4.5 million to assist the Gulf States and other stakeholders in developing a framework for restoring and protecting the Gulf. E.P.A. is working with twelve other federal agencies and 5 states in the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to implement the 2004 U.S. Ocean Action Plan.

Great Lakes: $56.8 million to continue working with states and local communities to reduce PCB concentration by 25 percent in predatory fish and keep monitored beaches open 95 percent of the time during the summer season.

The budget also requests an additional $687.5 million for clean water grants and $842.2 million for drinking water grants.

With a focus on improving air quality, the president's budget includes:

$117.9 million for EPA's climate change programs to build upon partnership efforts to achieve reductions in US greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the president's project to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 18 percent in 2012;
$44 million for Energy Star programs for the commercial, residential and industrial sectors to continue voluntary government/industry partnership programs designed to capitalize on the opportunities that consumers, businesses, and organizations have for making sound investments in efficient equipment, policies, and practices;
$5 million for the Asia Pacific Partnership to support international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and
$4.4 million for Methane to Markets to promote methane recovery and use at landfills, coal mines and natural gas facilities.

The budget also includes $35 million for Countrywide Clean Diesel Campaign grants to help meet the mandates of the Energy Act and promote more energy efficient technologies. The $35 million is estimated to leverage an additional $72 million in backing assistance and reduce particulate matter by approximately 5,040 tons, which will achieve $1.4 billion in health benefits.

With a focus on promoting scientific research, the president's budget includes:

$123.8 million for Clean Air and related research, a $7.5 million increase to enhance research related to cyclical review of criteria air pollutants, study near-road air pollution, and support work with N.O.A.A. to develop the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system;
$10.2 million for Nanotechnology Research, an increase of $1.6 million to identify potential uses and study nano-scale materials that are subject to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requirements.

In addition, the budget requests a total of $1.245 billion for Superfund (including a $3.2 million increase over FY 2007 Request for the Superfund Remedial program) and $162.2 million for the Brownfields program.

More information on the President's FY 2008 budget request for E.P.A.: epa.gov/ocfo/budget/index.htm

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