Prior to reaching the bipartisan budget agreement, in late June the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives approved a $383 billion package of FY20 appropriations bills that would deliver a major boost to agencies from EPA to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But those funding levels might prove to be out of reach under the new budget agreement.
As approved by the House on a near-party-line vote, the June spending measure would raise total EPA funding to $9.53 billion – $677 million above the agency’s current level and $3.3 billion above President Trump’s request. Within this sum, the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) would be fully-funded at $1.3 billion, while the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program would likewise receive its full $50 million authorization – a figure that could be leveraged into more than $5 billion in loans for water and wastewater projects.
Other parts of the EPA portion of the bill included $1.784 billion for the Clean Water SRF, $20 million to help communities and low-income households replace lead service lines, $25 million to help schools and child care centers test their water for lead, $1 million for water workforce development grants, and $4 million for the Drinking Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability program, an initiative championed by AMWA that would help drinking water systems adapt their infrastructure to climate change. The bill would also deliver an additional $18 million to support EPA’s scientific and regulatory work on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Of that sum, $3 million would support work to establish a maximum contaminant level for PFAS in drinking water, and $15 million would be applied to research to support designating the chemicals as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).
The House’s spending bill also carried funding for the Commerce Department, which houses NOAA. The agency would receive $5.49 billion, $64.28 million above the fiscal year 2019 level and more than $1 billion above the president’s request. The funds would target priorities like climate research, weather forecasting improvements, and harmful algal blooms.
The Republican-led Senate held off on offering any of its own FY20 spending proposals until a budget accord was reached, but with that in place the Senate could begin marking up individual spending bills in September. Once the Senate has bills on paper, both chambers will attempt to negotiate final appropriations bills before the new fiscal year begins on October 1 – though a continuing resolution to buy more time will almost certainly be necessary for at least some departments.