EPA FY 2019 Budget Proposal Released

Washington — The proposed Fiscal Year 2019 budget for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced today, provides $6.146 billion to support the Agency’s new FY 2018 — FY 2022 Strategic Plan and mission of protecting human health and the environment.

DETAILS OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2019 BUDGET PROPOSAL INCLUDE:

Cleaning up Contaminated Land: In FY 2019, the Superfund program is funded at $1.089 billion, which will provide support to states, local communities and tribes in their efforts to assess and cleanup many of the worst contaminated sites in the United States and return them to productive use.  EPA will maximize the dollars appropriated by Congress to reduce administrative costs, identify efficiencies, and prioritize the cleanup of sites. EPA also will invest over $109 million in support for Brownfields to help communities oversee, assess, safely cleanup and redevelop brownfield properties and spur economic growth of local communities.

Improving America’s Air Quality: The Budget provides approximately $410 million to better manage and support air quality work with our state, tribal and local partners through common sense standards, guidelines, and grant assistance. Most notably, $100 million is allotted to perform key activities in support of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and air toxics standards.  The Budget proposes new authority to establish user fees for entities that participate in the Energy Star program.

Providing for Clean and Safe Water:  The FY 2019 Budget includes $2.26 billion for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRF) and $20 million for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program to help improve the nation’s water infrastructure.  Complementing the SRF program, the new WIFIA program is a mechanism where EPA could potentially provide up to approximately $2 billion in credit assistance, which would spur up to an estimated $4 billion in total infrastructure investment. The budget request includes $84 million for drinking water programs to continue to partner with states, utilities, and other stakeholders to identify and address current and potential sources of drinking water contamination.

Protecting Water Bodies of National Significance: The Budget also provides funding to conduct long-term monitoring and coordinate monitoring efforts at water bodies of national significance, including $7.3 million for the Chesapeake Bay program and $30 million for the Great Lakes Restoration program. 

Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals in the Marketplace: In addition to fees, $58.6 million is requested in FY 2019 for the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Risk Review and Reduction program to support this high priority work.  EPA will work aggressively to complete the 10 chemical risk evaluations initiated in December 2016, continue prioritization efforts to identify future chemicals for evaluation and evaluate new chemicals.

Supporting State and Tribal Partners:  In FY 2019, the budget includes $597 million in funding for State and Tribal Assistance Categorical Grants in direct support of these partners. Included within this funding is $27 million for the Multipurpose Grant program to provide greater flexibility to our partners in implementing environmental programs. The Agency will continue to advance cooperative federalism by working with states and tribes to target core grant resources and provide needed flexibility to address their specific priorities.

Reducing and Eliminating Programs: EPA continues to examine its programs to identify those that create unnecessary redundancies or those that have served their purpose and accomplished their mission. The FY 2019 President’s Budget identifies and eliminates a number of programs and activities totaling $598.5 million. Details can be found in the proposed budget. 

Reforming Agency Operations: The Budget includes the EPA’s reform plan to support the President’s Executive Order on a Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch.  The plan includes a series of projects focused on managing EPA programs more effectively and delivering results, including streamlining EPA’s permit review process, deploying a Lean Management System, and reducing unnecessary reporting burdens on the regulated community.

For more information on EPA’s FY 2019 proposed budget, please visit https://www.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy2019