CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS AND DIVERSIONS

[bach2yoga]

EPA FACING LARGE REDUCTIONS IN `CORE PROGRAMS'

Date: 030915
From: http://www.peer.org/

CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS AND DIVERSIONS
PADDING THE BUDGET WHILE FORCING CUTS

September 15, 2003

Washington DC - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is facing
"significant reductions to [its] core programs," according to a memo
from the agency's Chief Financial Officer released today by Public
Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Recent actions
taken by the Senate may result in as much as $360 million diverted
from EPA's base programs, including Superfund cleanup of toxic sites,
grants to states for implementing anti-pollution laws, and programs
ranging from combating particulates to protecting the water quality of
the Great Lakes.

The September 8 memo, written by EPA's CFO Linda Combs to acting
Administrator Marianne Horinko, centers on the Senate version of the
agency's proposed budget for fiscal year 2004, which officially begins
in two weeks on October 1. The Senate actually increased EPA's
proposed budget but it did so by directing $750 million to local water
projects and Congressional earmarks. In order to pay for this new
spending while staying within budget caps, the bill mandates large
cutbacks "to EPA core programs."

The Combs memo warns, "despite the increase to the over-all Agency
[budget] total, the prospects for our core programs are sobering:" For
example, in the area of Environmental Program Management, Combs states
that congressional "add-ons" will necessitate a general Reduction of
more than $40,000,000, the largest in recent memory to this account."
Other programs hardest hit by the Senate actions include

- Superfund: a $125 million reduction in the amount requested by
President Bush;

- Grants to states: a $72 million cut in support of state anti-
pollution efforts; and

- Science and technology: a $60 million cut spread among a host of
programs.

While the Senate version of the EPA budget is pending on the Senate
floor before it goes to a two- house conference committee to reconcile
differences with the House version, the "very misleading" overall
budget increases will make reversal of the Senate Appropriation
Committee's actions difficult.

"Today, EPA is a rudderless bureaucracy without strong leadership
capable of protecting its mission," commented PEER Executive Director
Jeff Ruch. "Without strong intervention by an as yet indifferent
Administration, the nation's basic environmental safety net may be
ripped apart by hundreds of short knives carving out pork barrel
projects."

- - -

Read the memo from EPA's Chief Financial Officer.
http://www.peer.org/EPA/CFO_Budget_Memo.pdf

[bach2yoga]

EPA: AIR QUALITY IMPROVING

Date: 030915
From: http://yosemite1.epa.gov/

AIR QUALITY IMPROVING ACCORDING TO 2002 TRENDS
REPORT AND ACID RAIN DATA

09/15/2003

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released its
annual air trends report and also released new acid rain data, both of
which show steady and significant air quality improvement. This
environmental progress comes even as the country has experienced a 164
percent increase in gross domestic product, a 42 percent increase in
energy consumption and a 155 percent increase in vehicle miles
traveled.

The report, "Latest Findings on National Air Quality: 2002 Status and
Trends," shows that since 1970 emissions of the six principle air
pollutants have been cut 48 percent. Acid rain data released at the
same time demonstrates the cap and trade program's success in reducing
harmful sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from
power plants.

According to the data, SO2 emissions from power plants were 10.2
million tons in 2002, nine percent lower than in 2000 and 41 percent
lower than 1980. NOx emissions from power plants also continued a
downward trend, measuring 4.5 million tons in 2002, a 13 percent
reduction from 2000 and a 33 percent decline from 1990 emissions
levels.

"President Bush is committed to continuing protection of the nation's
environment, and we will build on this good news," said EPA's Acting
Administrator, Marianne Horinko, who highlighted the reports with the
President at an event in Michigan today. "The President's Clear Skies
Act will continue the impressive progress reflected in the findings we
are releasing today."

The Clear Skies proposal is based on this same market-based cap and
trade approach, widely acknowledged as a model air pollution control
program because it provides significant and measurable environmental
and human health benefits at low implementation costs.

EPA and the Administration have proposed, and are implementing, a
number of initiatives to continue the trend in air quality
improvement. The NOx SIP call, which will reduce summertime emissions
of ozone-producing NOx by over 60 percent; the Clear Skies Act, which
calls for a 70 percent reduction of SO2, NOx and mercury; and EPA's
proposed rule to cut emissions from non-road diesel engines, together
will make significant progress in cleaning our nation's air. By 2020,
111 of 129 counties will meet national fine particle standards and 263
of 290 counties will attain national ozone standards. With these
changes in place, a significant drop in ozone and PM levels will be
seen within the next several years.

The annual Trends Report summarizes air quality information and
facility emissions data for the six principal, or criteria, air
pollutants: carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb), nitrogen dioxide (NO2),
ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). The
report, based on monitoring at thousands of locations across the
country, focuses primarily on national trends for the 20-year period
between 1983-2002 and the 10-year period between 1993- 2002.

The Acid Rain Program is well on the way to achieving its goal of a
50 percent reduction from 1980 SO2 emissions. Trading under the Acid
Rain Program has created financial incentives for electricity
generators to look for new and low-cost ways to reduce emissions, and
improve the effectiveness of pollution control equipment, at costs
much lower than predicted. The level of compliance under the Acid Rain
Program continues to be uncommonly high, measuring over 99 percent.

Additional information about EPA's Trends Report is available online
at: http://www.epa.gov/airtrends .

Additional information about EPA's Acid Rain Program is available
online at: http://www.epa.gov/air/acidrain/index.html . EPA's acid
rain data is available online at: http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets .

* * *

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC

[TeeGate]

The first article states that there is a $125 million reduction in the amount requested by
PRESEDENT BUSH for Superfund. It also states that recent actions by the SENATE are to blame.



Guy

[bach2yoga]

The first article states that there is a $125 million reduction in the amount requested by
PRESEDENT BUSH for Superfund. It also states that recent actions by the SENATE are to blame.



Guy

Hey, you're right! Should read more carefully huh? Time to get my eyes examined.

My reaction to Bush initially is to assume the worst when it comes to environment! His track record is really bad when it comes to the environment.

But in all fairness, he had some play in the change in taxes re: land trusts, too, that is being fought tooth and nail by other charitable and faith based initiatives who think it is unfair. But then that brings in the whole issue of faith based initiatives to start with... oh well.

Renee

[bach2yoga]

SUPERFUND FACES STRUGGLE FOR ROOM IN THE BUDGET

Date: 14 Sep 2003
From: "Peter Montague" {Peter@rachel.org}

WITH INDUSTRY TAX EXPIRED, MONEY FOR TOXIC WASTE
CLEANUPS MUST COME FROM GENERAL REVENUE

By Eric Pianin, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sept. 14, 2003

The Bush administration has come under fire on Capitol Hill for its
handling of the Superfund program and allowing the government to fall
behind in cleaning up the nation's worst toxic waste sites.

But after bipartisan congressional action that blocked President
Bush's request to boost Superfund spending by $125 million in fiscal
2004, the administration is fighting back.

A memo drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency's chief
financial officer for Acting EPA Administrator Marianne L. Horinko
said the agency faces "significant reductions to [its] core programs,"
including proposed spending increases for Superfund, science and
technology programs and certain categorical grants to states.

The memo, prepared by Linda M. Combs, notes that although total
spending for the EPA will increase in the coming year, recent actions
by the Senate Appropriations Committee may divert as much as $360
million from EPA's "base" program initiatives. "So, despite the
increase to the overall agency total, the prospects for our core
programs are sobering, especially when coupled with House action
earlier this summer," Combs said in the memo. A copy was provided to
The Washington Post by Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility (PEER), an activist group.

EPA spokesman Philip Angell said Friday that "it's ironic...but not
unexpected" that Democrats joined the Republican majority to oppose
the proposed increase in Superfund spending after repeatedly
criticizing the administration for slowing the rate of cleanups.

"This issue has become a lot more politicized over the years," he
said. The administration, he said, is trying to defuse the issue by
showing that the cleanup schedule is heavily influenced by decisions
of previous administrations and that current projects are far more
costly and complicated than those handled during the Clinton
administration.

While Superfund spending has remained relatively flat during the past
five or six years, the annual pace of cleanups has dropped from a high
of about 85 sites during the Clinton administration to about 45 since
President Bush took office.

"You're going to do easy stuff first if you can," Angell said. "If
you look at the numbers [of cleanups] during the Clinton
administration, they're huge numbers. But those were cleanups whose
genesis began" during the administration of president George H.W.
Bush.

Congressional Democrats dismiss those explanations. They say the
administration is slowing the pace of toxic waste cleanup largely to
relieve industry of much of the associated costs. The corporate tax
that generated more than $1 billion a year to finance Superfund
cleanups expired in 1995, and the Bush administration has declined to
try to reauthorize it, leaving general tax funds to pay most of the
cost of cleaning up abandoned sites.

Faced with a dwindling industry-financed trust fund - from $3.6
billion in 1995 to a projected $28 million this year - the White House
chose to designate fewer sites for completion while relying more
heavily on general revenue.

The General Accounting Office recently reported that the trust fund
will run out of money next month.

"The bottom line is: The reason we have problems is that we no longer
have that fee," said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), a member of the
Environment and Public Works Committee. "In these days of outrageous
deficits, it's very hard to have a robust Superfund program without
getting help from polluters."

Boxer and other Democrats intend to raise their concerns about
Superfund spending Thursday at the Senate confirmation hearing of Utah
Gov. Mike Leavitt (R), nominated to succeed Christine Todd Whitman as
EPA administrator.

There are 1,238 sites on the EPA's cleanup list, including 165
ongoing projects at 124 sites.

As part of his 2004 budget submission, Bush proposed increasing
Superfund spending from $1.26 billion this year to $1.38 billion in
the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. The House this summer approved $1.27
billion for Superfund in the coming year, while the Senate on Sept. 4
agreed to $1.26 billion. Full funding of Bush's request would have
allowed EPA to start work on as many as 15 new sites, the agency said.

Senate and House Democratic aides defended the lawmakers' decision,
noting that appropriators were forced to shift resources within the
EPA's overall $8 billion budget to restore administration cuts in
programs important to members. For example, they said, Bush tried to
cut $500 million from a popular Clean Water State Revolving Fund and
millions more in grants for special projects earmarked by individual
lawmakers. Members of Congress from both parties joined to restore
those funds, partly at the expense of the Superfund program.

"There's more money in the House and Senate by a long shot for EPA
activities, and real increases over last year," a House Democratic
aide said. "But within the details of the bill, we did not agree with
all the administration's priorities."

An aide to Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (Md.), ranking Democrat on the
appropriations subcommittee that oversees EPA spending, said: "Sen.
Mikulski was disappointed we couldn't do more...but it was the best
they could have done under the circumstances. Of course the Democrats
wanted to see more [for Superfund], but a $500 million cut from clean
water programs in real terms...had to be remedied."

"Today, EPA is a rudderless bureaucracy," said PEER executive
director Jeff Ruch. "Without strong intervention by an as yet
indifferent administration, the nation's basic environmental safety
net may be ripped apart by hundreds of short knives carving out pork
barrel projects."