Environmental Protection Agency: FY2006 Appropriations Highlights

CRS Report for Congress
Environmental Protection Agency:
FY2006 Appropriations Highlights
David Bearden and Robert Esworthy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
As enacted in August 2005, Title II of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2006 (P.L. 109-54, H.R. 2361) provided $7.73 billion
for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), subject to an across-the-board rescission
of 0.476%. The law also included $80 million for EPA in unobligated funds “rescinded”
from past appropriations. Overall, P.L. 109-54 provided more funding for EPA than the
Administration’s FY2006 request of $7.52 billion, but less than the FY2005 appropriation
of $8.03 billion. Among individual programs, funding decreased for some activities and
increased for others, compared with the FY2006 request and the FY2005 appropriation.
In the debate over EPA’s appropriation, considerable attention focused on the
adequacy of funding for State Revolving Funds (SRFs) to assist states in issuing loans to
communities for constructing and upgrading wastewater and drinking water infrastructure.
Prior to the above rescission, P.L. 109-54 provided $900 million for the clean water SRF,
less than the FY2005 appropriation of $1.09 billion but more than the request of $730
million. The law provided $850 million for the drinking water SRF, the same as
requested, and similar to the FY2005 appropriation. Other prominent issues included the
adequacy of funding for the cleanup of hazardous waste sites under the Superfund
program, the cleanup of commercial and industrial sites referred to as brownfields, EPA’s
homeland security activities, “congressional project priorities” or earmarks, and EPA’s
use and consideration of intentional human dosing studies.
At the end of its first session, the 109^th Congress enacted a government-wide
rescission in Section 3801 of Title III of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act
for FY2006 (P.L. 109-148, H.R. 2863). This rescission reduced FY2006 funding for EPA
and all other federal agencies by 1%, except for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and
excluded “emergency” spending. P.L. 109-148 also reallocated $8 million in emergency
funds to EPA for responding to leaking underground tanks in areas affected by Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. The Administration had recommended a $15 million reallocation for
this purpose in October 2005. The law did not include the $166 million rescission for the
clean water SRF that the Administration also had proposed in October.
The table below indicates congressional action on EPA’s appropriation for FY2006,
the Administration’s request, and the FY2005 appropriation. (Also see CRS Report
RL32856, Environmental Protection Agency: Appropriations for FY2006.)

Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

Environmental Protection Agency Appropriations Accounts:
FY2005 Enacted, FY2006 Request, and Action on FY2006 Appropriations
(in millions of dollars)
H.R. 2361H.R. 2361
Appropriations AccountFY2005EnactedFY2006RequestHouse-Senate-P.L. 109-54
passedpassed
echnology $744.1 $760.6 $765.3 $730.8 $741.7
Superfund account+ $35.8+ $30.6+ $30.6+ $30.6+ $30.6
echnology Total$779.9$791.2$795.9$761.4$772.3
ironmental Programs and Management$2,294.9^a $2,353.8^a $2,389.5^a $2,333.4^a $2,381.8
nspector General$37.7$37.0$38.0$37.0$37.5
Superfund account+ $12.9+ $13.5+ $13.5+ $13.5+ $13.5
nspector General Total$50.6$50.5$51.5$50.5$51.0
uildings & Facilities $41.7$40.2$40.2$40.2$40.2
ardous Substance Superfund$1,247.5$1,279.3$1,258.3$1,256.2$1,260.6
nspector General — $12.9 — $13.5 — $13.5 — $13.5 — $13.5
echnology — $35.8 — $30.6 — $30.6 — $30.6 — $30.6
ardous Substance Superfund (Net)$1,198.8$1,235.2$1,214.2$1,212.1$1,216.5
ing Underground Storage Tank Program$69.4$73.0$73.0$73.0$73.0
il Spill Response$15.9$15.9$15.9$15.9$15.9
istration Fund$19.2$15.0$15.0$15.0$15.0
istration Fees — $19.2 — $15.0 — $15.0 — $15.0 — $15.0
ribal Assistance Grants: Total$3,575.3$2,960.8$3,127.8$3,395.6$3,181.7
ater State Revolving Funds$1,091.2$730.0$850.0$1,100.0$900.0
^b — — ($100.0) — —
ater State Revolving Funds$843.2$850.0$850.0$850.0$850.0
$1,640.9 $1,380.8 $1,527.8 $1,503.6 $1,511.7
ously Appropriated to EPA ^b — — — ($58.0)($80.0)
A Accounts $8,026.5$7,520.6$7,708.0$7,882.1$7,732.4
^{Prepared by}^t^h^e^C^oⁿ^g^r^es^sⁱ^on^al^R^e^s^earch^S^e^rvⁱ^{ce (C}^R^S^{) bas}^e^{d on}^am^ouⁿ^t^sⁱⁿ^di^cat^{ed i}ⁿ^P.L^.^109-^{54, t}^h^{e con}^f^eren^{ce report}^on^H^.^R^.
^{ept. 109-}^{188), an}^d^th^{e Hou}^s^{e an}^{d S}^eⁿ^a^te-^p^as^s^e^{d v}^e^rs^ion^s^of^H.R^.^{2361 an}^{d th}^{eir accom}^p^an^yⁱⁿ^g^reports^(H.R^{ept. 109-}^{80 an}^d
^e^pt^.^109-^{80, res}^p^ectⁱ^v^el^y⁾^{. F}^Y^{2005 en}^act^{ed am}^ouⁿ^t^s^ref^l^ect^t^h^{e 0.8%}^acros^s^-^t^h^e-^{board res}^cⁱ^s^sⁱ^on^requⁱ^r^ed^by^P.L^.^108-^447.^F^Y²⁰⁰⁶
^ouⁿ^t^s^{are lin}^e-^item^sⁱⁿ^{dicated in}^T^{itle II of}^P^.^L^.^109-^{54, w}^h^ich^{do n}^o^{t ref}^l^ect^th^e^0.476%^acros^s^-^th^e-^board^res^c^is^sⁱ^o^{n r}^e^q^uⁱ^r^e^d
^.^109-^{54 or t}^h^{e 1%}^g^o^v^e^rn^m^eⁿ^t^-^wⁱ^d^{e res}^cⁱ^s^sⁱ^on^requⁱ^r^{ed by}^P.L^.^109-^{148. N}^u^m^b^ers^m^a^yⁿ^o^t^{add du}^{e t}^o^rouⁿ^dⁱⁿ^g^.
^Neith^{er P}^.^L^.^109-^{54 or H.R}^.^{2361, as}^pas^s^e^{d by}^th^{e Hou}^s^{e or}^th^e^Sen^a^{te, in}^clu^d^{ed a $50 m}^illion^of^f^s^{et in}^receipts^f^r^om^toxⁱ^cs^a^nd
^pes^tⁱ^cⁱ^d^es^f^ees^t^h^at^t^h^{e A}^d^mⁱⁿⁱ^s^t^ratⁱ^oⁿ^h^a^{d propos}^{ed i}ⁿⁱ^t^s^F^Y^{2006 bu}^dg^et^requ^es^t^.
^T^h^{e total f}^o^{r th}^{e State an}^{d T}^r^{ibal A}^s^sⁱ^s^t^an^{ce Gran}^ts^accouⁿ^tⁱⁿ^clu^d^es^an^of^f^s^{et of}^{$80 m}^illion^pe^r^P^.^L^.^109-^{54 ($58 m}^illionⁱⁿ^th^e
^Sen^a^te^bill^an^{d $100 m}^illionⁱⁿ^th^{e Hou}^s^{e bill), to be res}^cⁱⁿ^{ded f}^r^om^{prior y}^ear^EP^A^{appropriation}^sⁿ^o^t^oblig^{ated f}^o^{r con}^t^racts^{, g}^r^an^ts^,
^an^{d i}ⁿ^t^e^rag^eⁿ^c^y^ag^reem^en^t^s^f^o^{r w}^hⁱ^c^h^t^h^{e f}^uⁿ^dⁱⁿ^g^au^t^h^ori^zatⁱ^oⁿ^h^a^s^sⁱⁿ^ce^ex^pi^red.^P.L^.^109-^{54 di}^{d n}^o^t^s^p^eci^f^y^h^o^w^t^h^{e $80 m}ⁱ^l^l^ioⁿ
ⁱⁿ^res^cⁱⁿ^{ded f}^uⁿ^d^s^w^o^u^l^{d be allocated am}^on^g^EP^A^activ^itiesⁱⁿ^{FY2006, n}^o^{r did th}^{e Sen}^a^{te s}^p^ecif^y^th^{e allocation}^of^th^e^$58^m^ill^ioⁿ
ⁱⁿ^res^cⁱⁿ^{ded f}^uⁿ^d^sⁱⁿ^pas^sⁱⁿ^g^its^v^e^rs^ion^of^H.R^.^{2361. A}^s^pa^s^s^e^{d by}^th^{e Hou}^s^{e, H.R}^.^{2361 w}^o^ul^d^ha^ve^a^l^l^o^cat^{ed $100 m}^illionⁱⁿ
^res^cⁱⁿ^{ded f}^uⁿ^d^s^f^o^{r t}^h^{e cl}^ean^w^a^t^e^{r S}^R^F^f^o^{r F}^Y^2006.