President Obama’s proposed $8.93 billion FY2012 budget for EPA represents about a 13 percent decrease from the FY 2010 (enacted) budget of $10.3 billion. In a press release, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said the budget reflects tough choices and significant cuts yet provides the agency with what is needed to “fundamentally protect the health of the American people.”
Although most of the proposed cuts would go toward shrinking the overall budget, the President requested more funding for EPA’s climate change programs and proposed an $85 million boost to a grant program that helps states comply with new air quality regulations and other rules.
With regard to drinking water, the Public Water System Supervision grant program would receive $4 million more to help state primacy agencies. The drinking water SRF would receive $990 million in FY12 under the proposal. Ten percent would be reserved for green infrastructure projects. The proposed funding for the Clean Water SRF is $1.55 billion.
Several other programs are proposed for modest increases including $2.2 million more to assist states in implementing new carbon capture and sequestration regulations and a $2.39 million increase to the EPA drinking water program.