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Thirteen Democratic State Attorneys General (AGs) sent a letter December 21 to both Republican and Democratic leadership in the House and Senate in opposition to the EPA budget cuts each chamber has proposed.  The letter states that underfunding EPA “directly impacts states and harms our ability to protect our residents.”

A major concern expressed in the letter is the proposed elimination or scaling back of the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), a program that identifies and characterizes health hazards of chemicals found in the environment. According to the AGs, the proposed action would limit IRIS to focusing on the Toxic Substances Control Act and force the program to drop its work under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The letter also notes “the elimination or reduction of the IRIS program will likely delay, if not end, progress toward effective, science-based regulation of these dangerous chemicals, and toward ensuring the health and safety of the water Americans drink.”

The letter calls for Congress to reject the proposed reductions in enforcement and other core programs; going further to suggest that Congress should consider giving EPA more overall funding citing the need for improvements to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The state AGs go on to discuss environmental policy-riders that have been added to the bill that they find concerning which they request Congress address. Among these additions is the ability for EPA to withdraw the “Waters of the United States” rule and replace it with prior regulations without compliance with the federal Administrative Procedures Act (APA).

The letter concludes by reiterating that Congress pass a budget that will fully fund EPA’s programs. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are currently in the process of negotiating spending legislation to cover the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year, but it is not known when a final spending bill may be released.