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Highlights from the President's FY 2018 Budget Request: Environmental Protection Agency

May 26, 2017
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Unless otherwise noted, all FY 2018 figures are from the department’s budget justification, and all FY 2017 figures are from committee reports for the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017.

The administration’s budget proposal would dramatically reduce funding throughout the EPA. The Office of Science and Technology, which houses the Agency’s R&D and tech transfer initiatives, would be reduced by $263 million to $450.8 million (36.8 percent decrease).

Specific changes to the Office of Science and Technology include eliminating funding for the Science to Achieve Results program, which funds research grants, SBIR contracts and graduate fellowships, as well as the following:

  • Research: Air and Energy — $30.6 million ($61.3 million, 66.7 percent decrease), including eliminating climate change research and reducing air quality research;
  • Research: Safe and Sustainable Water Resources — $68.5 million ($37.8 million, 35.6 percent decrease), including “streamlining” support and technology transfer, eliminating water recovery and advanced systems research;
  • Research: Sustainable Communities — $54.2 million ($80.1 million, 59.6 percent decrease), including “streamlining” environmental research and Health Impact Assessment methodology;
  • Research: Chemical Safety and Responsibility — $84.2 million ($42.7 million, 33.6 percent decrease);
  • Research: National/Congressional Priorities — eliminated ($4.1 million in FY 2017); and,
  • Workforce Reshaping — $11 million (new spending) for costs related to terminating or reassigning staff.

The budget proposal would also double the resources available within EPA ($20 million in FY 2018) to administer and support the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), which can be used to facilitate the financing of regionally- and nationally-significant water projects. This funding level is anticipated to provide up to $1 billion in credit support on a potential $2 billion infrastructure investment.

 

federal budget, fy18 budget