The U.S. Senate has approved an $8.8 billion budget for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the end of the fiscal year in September. The approval is part of a three-bill funding package that approves certain science spending and budgets for the departments of Justice, Interior, Commerce and Energy.
The overall sum is about 4% less than last year’s budget. Much of the proposed EPA budget aims to continue operation of programs such as CERCLA enforcement operations, water quality and infrastructure work, grantmaking and other day-to-day operations. The $287 million for CERCLA, otherwise known as the Superfund program, which is an EPA program aimed at cleaning up the nation’s most contaminated land, saw a 47% budget reduction.
$27 million was also included in the budget to go towards research projects while $9 million was dedicated to helping farmers and ranchers manage per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in agricultural settings. Additionally, the draft budget stipulates the agency can hire up to 100 people a year to maintain sufficient staffing levels and operations throughout the agency.
The bill now awaits the President’s signature for final approval.
