Quick Look: President Bush's FY 2009 Budget: Environmental Protection Agency -- Feb. 4 2008

The California Institute prepares a quick analysis of the President's budget request on the day it is released.  For the FY 2009 Budget, the budget was released the morning of February 4, 2008.  The following represents an examination of this portion of the budget from a California perspective.  For analysis of other components visit our 2009 Budget page.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The President's Budget provides $7.14 billion in discretionary Budget authority for the Environmental Protection agency, compared to $7.47 billion estimated for FY08.

Clean Water State Revolving Fund

The Budget provides $555 million in new funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, a decrease from the $689 million estimated in FY08 funding. States use their capitalization grants, along with matching funds, to make loans to localities.

Science and Technology

The proposed Budget includes $763.5 million, as compared to $772 million in last year’s request for the Science and Technology account. This program finances the activities that provide the scientific and technology basis for EPA’s regulatory actions.

Environmental Programs and Management

The Budget proposes $2.3 billion for Environmental Programs and Management, about the same as requested in FY08.

Clean and Safe Water

The Budget documents state that "EPA’s strategy for helping systems provide safe drinking water over the next several years includes developing or revising drinking water standards, supporting States, Tribes, and water systems in implementing standards, promoting sustainable management of water infrastructure, and protecting sources of drinking water from contamination. To better address the complexity of the remaining water quality challenges, EPA will promote local watershed approaches to achieving the best and most cost-effective solutions to local and regional water problems."

Clean Air and Global Climate Change

The documents state: "To ensure that every American community has safe and healthy air to breathe, EPA will apply a variety of approaches and appropriate tools. EPA will develop and implement strategies to attain ambient air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter and reduce regional haze through regional approaches where significant transport of pollutants occurs. EPA will continue to develop and issue national technology-based and risk-based standards to reduce the quantity of toxic air pollutants emitted from industrial and manufacturing processes, as well as from urban sources. EPA will also develop control measures for sources that are best regulated at the Federal level."

State and Tribal Assistance Grants

The proposed Budget provides $2.6 billion for State and Tribal Assistance Grants, compared to $2.74 billion for FY08. Included in this funding is: $$555,000,000 for making capitalization grants for the Clean Water State Revolving Funds, to meet the Administration’s commitment to provide a total of $6.8 billion between 2004-2011 for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF). Over the long term this will result in the Clean Water SRF providing an annual average of $3.4 billion in loans for wastewater infrastructure. The budget also includes: $842,167,000 for capitalization grants for the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. Over the long term this will result in the Drinking Water SRF providing an annual average of $1.2 billion in loans for drinking water infrastructure.

Brownfields

The Budget states that EPA will provide $166 million to assess more than 1,000 Brownfields properties, clean up over 60 properties, and make 225 acres ready for reuse. It states that this will bring the cumulative number of sites assessed to over 9,000.

Superfund

The Budget funds the Hazardous Substance Superfund at $1.3 billion.

Reductions

The Budget proposes eliminating $133 million earmarked by the Congress "for specific unrequested water infrastructure projects that circumvent normal allocation and priority setting processes," and $10 million for Mexico border water infrastructure assistance "due to the program’s slow rate of project development over the last 10 years."

California Diesel Emission Reduction Grants

The Budget proposes to zero-fund this program, as opposed to the $10 million in funding estimated for FY08.

San Francisco Bay

According to the office of Senator Barbara Boxer, the Budget also proposes eliminating $5 million from a program to restore the San Francisco Bay.

 

 

The California Institute prepares a quick analysis of the President's budget request on the day it is released.  The FY 2009 Budget was released the morning of February 4, 2008.  The following represents an examination of this portion of the budget from a California perspective.  For analysis of other components visit our 2009 Budget page.

Official Source Material for FY 2009 Budget -- For your reference, the following are links to mirrored copies of OMB 2009 Budget materials (which are also available from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget via direct download)

 

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