A report from the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), Status of State Environmental Agency Budgets 2011-2013, advises that environmental budgets declined from fiscal year 2011 to 2012 and projects federal budget cuts will likely reduce state spending further in fiscal 2013. States expect to increase state-imposed fees and contributions from state general funds while receiving less federal funding.
ECOS obtained budgetary information from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to complete its analysis.
Between fiscal years 2011 and 2012, state environmental budgets declined $17.5 million, an average of $357,015 per state. The total budget for state environmental programs dropped slightly from $227.8 million in fiscal 2011 per state to $227.5 million in fiscal 2012. Although 25 states actually saw their environmental budgets increase, 24 saw their budgets decline and the cuts outweighed the gains in the other states.
In fiscal 2012, states received almost 57 percent of the funds for their environmental budgets from permit and other fees. Federal government contributions made up 29 percent of their budgets and general fund contributions made up the remaining 14 percent.
According to ECOS’s forecast, just nine states will have higher environmental budgets in fiscal 2013, while 36 will have lower budgets. Budgets in two states will not change, according to the forecast. ECOS reported that state environmental budgets would likely decline in fiscal year 2013 even when expected federal revolving loan funds were factored, but called the estimates in the report “best-case scenarios” for state budgets.