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Federal Document Clearing House
Congressional Testimony
May 15, 2001, Tuesday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 6800 words
COMMITTEE:
SENATE environment & public works
HEADLINE: TESTIMONY EPA BUDGET
TESTIMONY-BY: GOVERNOR CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN ,
ADMINISTRATOR
AFFILIATION: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY
BODY: MAY 15, 2001 STATEMENT OF
GOVERNOR CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN ADMINISTRATOR U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY BEFORE THE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE Mr. Chairman and
Members of the Committee, I am pleased to be here to discuss President Bush's
request for EPA. The President's budget provides the necessary funds for the
Agency to carry out our mission efficiently and effectively to protect human
health and safeguard the environment. The FY 2002 request is $7.3 billion, a $56
million increase compared to last year's request. The President's FY2002 budget
request for EPA reflects a commitment to increase partnerships across America to
develop innovative environmental programs that ensure stewardship of our land,
air, and water for generations to come. This request provides the resources and
vision necessary to fulfill our nation's environmental mission to protect the
environment and human health. Each day, America's communities are developing
environmental experience and expertise. Sharing this expertise with the Agency
will help us reach our goals. The states and tribes receive about half of EPA's
budget, because they are the innovators and energizers and are on the front line
in implementing and enforcing our environmental statutes. The FY 2002 request
for states, tribes and EPA partners is $3.3 billion, almost $500 million more
than was requested by the previous Administration. The President's request for
EPA reflects a commitment to provide more flexibility to states and local
communities to craft solutions to meet their unique environmental needs. New
Enforcement
Grant Program The President's Budget for FY 2002
includes $25 million for
grants to state enforcement programs.
Each year, the states conduct about 95% of the nation's environmental compliance
inspections and take about 90% of the enforcement actions. In 1999, the States
conducted 471,000 inspections while EPA conducted 21,800 inspections nationwide.
This
grant program will benefit the national environmental
enforcement program by providing states much-needed funds to enhance their
enforcement efforts in delegated environmental programs. EPA envisions a program
which includes three ingredients: a program for which there is accountability
for results, flexibility to use the dollars to address state environmental
priorities, and a program that is simple and efficient to administer. Over the
next several months, EPA plans to work with the states to develop specific
guidelines for the
grant program. As we proceed through this
process, we will keep the Committee informed of our progress. The President's
budget includes $475 million for enforcement activities nationwide. This request
represents a $10 million increase compared to enacted FY2001 level. EPA will
continue to have a vital role in shaping and carrying out the nation's
environmental compliance and enforcement program. EPA will continue to take
actions where there are significant violations at companies with facilities in
more than one state, where states do not yet have delegated programs, and where
the federal government is the statutory lead. We will continue to assist states
when requested and when they cannot get the job done. Information Exchange
Network The budget request also includes a $25 million program intended to
improve the states' environmental information systems. This program will help
states and EPA create the necessary infrastructure to efficiently exchange
information electronically, which will reduce burden, improve accuracy and
inform decision-making. This request reflects two years of collaboration with
the states, with whom EPA has created a Network blueprint to improve the
nationwide exchange of environmental information. As an example of our ongoing
efforts with the states in this area, in June 2001, all states will have the
opportunity to begin submitting their Air Emissions Inventory data using the
Information Exchange Network, demonstrating the progress made so far. Superfund
This budget continues a commitment to clean up toxic waste sites with $1.3
billion for the Superfund program. The Agency's Superfund program responds to
the needs of states, communities and the public to address contamination from
uncontrolled releases of toxic wastes that threaten human health, the
environment and local economies. The Superfund program not only protects human
health and the environment through the cleanup of toxic waste sites, but works
with both public and private partners to promote redevelopment of Superfund
sites. The President's budget proposes funding Superfund at the FY 2001
appropriated level. Cleanup construction is under way or completed at 92% of the
1,458 sites on the Federal National Priority List (NPL). In FY 2002, the
Superfund program and its partners will complete construction at 65 private and
Federal sites. This target reflects funding reductions in prior fiscal years and
the number of large, complex sites now entering the construction phase of the
Superfund pipeline. By the end of FY 2002, EPA will have undertaken more than
6,800 removals at hazardous waste sites to immediately reduce the threat to
human health and the environment. Working with our Federal partners to clean up
Federal Facilities, the FY 2002 budget includes resources to support continuing
cleanup oversight, technical assistance and property transfer at Federal NPL and
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) sites. Efforts to support the Department of
Defense's (DOD's) BRAC property transfer program have created jobs and
accelerated the availability of more than 350,000 acres for reuse. Brownfields
In the President's FY 2002 budget, the brownfields program request is increased
by $5 million above last year's enacted level, for a total of $98 million. These
resources will be used to provide additional support for State Voluntary Cleanup
Programs and the Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot program. The FY 2002
funding request provides the resources necessary to award 38 communities new
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots, 29 new Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund pilots, and ten new job training pilots. The request
includes supplemental funding for all three existing pilot programs, the
existing 28 Showcase communities, and for state/tribal voluntary cleanup
programs. President Bush has made the clean up and redevelopment of brownfields
and the enactment of brownfields legislation a priority. The brownfields program
is an important urban redevelopment tool that provides an alternative to the
development of greenfields, and plays a key role in the Administration's goal of
building strong and healthy communities for the 21st century. The Agency
estimates that the brownfields program has leveraged more than an estimated $2.9
billion in cleanup and redevelopment funds. Through the EPA program, states,
tribes and local communities have assessed more than 2,500 sites. I was pleased
to see the Senate pass S.350 on April 25th by a vote of 99 to 0. As many of you
know, since you were original sponsors of the bill, this was good news for the
nation. The bill encourages brownfields redevelopment by clarifying Superfund
liability and funding Brownfields cleanups that will make our communities safer
and cleaner. This bill reflects the Bush Administration's belief that
environmental protection and economic prosperity do go hand in hand. The vote is
an overwhelming endorsement of Brownfields programs that: strengthen
partnerships among states and local community groups and developers; improve
public health; boost local property tax rolls and provide jobs. I look forward
to working with the House to earn its bipartisan endorsement of Brownfields
legislation and encourage quick congressional enactment of brownfields
legislation. I also hope you will support the Administration's efforts to make
the brownfields tax incentive permanent. As you know, the brownfields tax
incentive will expire at the end of 2003. Making this provision permanent will
remove any doubt among taxpayers as to the future deductibility of remediation
costs and would promote the goal of encouraging cleanup and redevelopment at
brownfields sites.
Water Infrastructure Funding The President's
budget includes $2.1 billion in
grants to states for
water infrastructure to ensure that safe and clean water is
supplied in every American community. With respect to wastewater infrastructure,
the Administration proposes $1.3 billion for
grants to states
in FY 2002, $500 million more than the previous Administration's FY 2001
request. Included in the wastewater infrastructure request is a new $450 million
grant program to assist local communities in addressing
infrastructure needs related to Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) and Sanitary
Sewer Overflows (SSOs) to address the largest remaining municipal wastewater
problem, and $850 million for continued capitalization of state Clean Water
State Revolving Loan Funds (CWSRF). The CWSRF investment keeps EPA on track with
our commitment to meet the goal for the CWSRF to provide $2 billion average in
annual financial assistance over the long-term even after Federal assistance
ends. Supporting Core Water Quality Programs The President's request fully
maintains support for EPA's core water quality programs, including $170 million
in
grants to states under Clean Water Act Section 106 to manage
water quality programs and $237 million for
grants under the
Section 319 nonpoint source program to address polluted runoff. We recommend the
elimination of the cap on Section 319
grants to Indian Tribes.
This budget includes $2 million for "BEACHES"
grants to support
the development of beach monitoring and notification programs at the state and
local level. In addition, the budget maintains support for EPA's most critical
core programs including efforts to: Work cooperatively with states to develop
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for the states most impaired waters; Train and
provide technical assistance to states to aid in the adoption and implementation
of new drinking water standards; Reduce the backlog of expired wastewater
discharge permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES); and Work to ensure that states have protective, up-to-date water
quality standards in place. The budget also maintains funding of $75 million to
address priority water and wastewater infrastructure needs along the U.S.-
Mexico border, and $35 million to support much needed water and wastewater
projects in Alaska rural and Native Villages. Also, in recognition of the lack
of basic wastewater infrastructure that exists in much of Indian Country, the
President is proposing to extend authority granted by the Congress for the
current fiscal year that allows the Agency to reserve up to one-and-a-half
percent of funds appropriated for the Clean Water SRFs for wastewater
grants to tribes. Drinking Water SRF With regard to drinking
water, the Administration proposes to maintain capitalization of the drinking
water SRF at current levels in FY 2002, $823 million. By the end of FY 2002,
state drinking water SRFs will have awarded 2,400 loans, with about 850 SRF
funded projects having initiated operations by that date. In addition, the Safe
Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 included a provision that allows states
flexibility to transfer funds between their clean water and drinking water SRFs
in order to address their most compelling infrastructure needs. Under the
President's Budget, the Administration is proposing to allow states to continue
to exercise this important flexibility. Arsenic With respect to arsenic, on
April 23rd we proposed extending the effective date for nine months, until
February 22, 2002, in order to review the science pertaining to health risks and
to better assess compliance costs and benefits associated with a new standard.
Our plan during this review period is to propose a new rule and take comments on
various possible regulatory options and the associated issues. We have asked the
National Academy of Sciences to review the health issues and a subgroup of the
National Drinking Water Advisory Council to examine compliance cost issues. We
are also developing a process to review the benefits estimates. We plan to
publish a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) with the findings of that review
process and then finalize the rule based upon the comments on the proposed rule
and on the NODA. Ensuring Clean Air The President's FY 2002 budget request
maintains current funding for EPA's clean air program, $565 million, allowing us
to continue the progress of past years. Almost $220 million or 40 percent of the
budget request is designated for our state, tribal, and local partners to help
carry out their responsibilities under the Clean Air Act. In 1990, Congress
passed the Clean Air Act Amendments with overwhelming support, setting ambitious
air pollution reduction goals. Since then, the nation has achieved unprecedented
success in cleaning our air and protecting public health. Working with state,
tribal, and local partners, we have achieved these successes through
rulemakings, voluntary measures, market mechanisms, and stakeholder
consultation. The Clean Air Act has succeeded in improving the air quality in
our cities. Since 1970, air emissions have decreased nationally for five of the
six common pollutants subject to air quality standards. Moreover, in FY2002 we
expect increases in the number of areas with clean air and more areas that will
come into compliance with national clean air health standards . Our cars and
fuels are cleaner. The average new car is over 90 percent cleaner (in terms of
emissions) than in 1970. More than 30 percent of the nation=s gasoline is now
cleaner- burning, reformulated gasoline. We will continue to implement gasoline
sulfur reductions and the cleanest ever emissions standards for cars, sport
utility vehicles (SUVs), pick-up trucks and minivans. In addition, the
Administration is moving forward to implement new diesel truck and fuel
standards that by 2007 will achieve emission reductions of 95% for hydrocarbons,
and 90% reductions for particulate matter and NOx, resulting in substantial
public health benefits. We have issued technology-based air toxics rules, or
maximum achievable control technology (or "MACT") standards, that by 2002, will
reduce industrial air toxics by an estimated cumulative 40% from 1993 levels, or
1.5 million tons per year. Through FY 2000, emissions of air toxics have
declined 30 percent since the 1993 implementation of the MACT program and the
auto emission standards. The FY 2002 budget request includes the resources
needed to complete the last round of MACT standards. The Acid Rain Program has
succeeded in reducing sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from electric utilities by
approximately 28 percent, or 5 million tons. In addition, rainfall acidity in
the East has been reduced by 25 percent. When Title IV is fully implemented in
2010 there will be a reduction in annual cases of premature mortality, due to
reductions in SO2 and nitrogen oxide levels. Acid rain control will also produce
significant benefits in terms of improved visibility, lowered surface water
acidity, and less damage to high elevation forests and materials. However, more
work remains. Recent ecological studies have found that the problem of acid rain
persists. To further reduce emissions of SO2 and NOx emissions from power
plants, we look forward to working with the Congress on a multi-pollutant
strategy. Although substantial progress has been made, it is important not to
lose sight of the magnitude of the air pollution problem that still remains. In
1999, more than 150 million tons of air pollution were released into the air in
the United States, and approximately 62 million people lived in counties where
monitored data showed unhealthy air for one or more of the six common
pollutants. In FY 2002, we will continue our work with states to reduce
transported emissions of nitrogen oxides that contribute significantly to urban
smog in downwind areas. Currently, 15 of the 19 states subject to the NOx SIP
Call have plans that EPA has approved or expects to approve. When fully
implemented, the NOx SIP Call will achieve nearly a million ton reduction in NOx
emissions. During FY 2002 we will be re-engineering the information technology
support structure for the allowance and emissions tracking systems to provide
for improved public access and timely exchange of data with state partners.
Addressing Global Warming To address the challenge of global warming, the FY
2002 budget request is $145 million for voluntary and climate change science
programs. This request allows EPA to continue its partnership efforts with
businesses, organizations, and consumers to achieve greenhouse gas reductions by
taking advantage of the many voluntary opportunities to reduce pollution and
energy bills by fostering energy efficient programs, products, technologies, and
cost-effective renewable energy. EPA's FY 2002 budget request will help us meet
the following goals: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions annually by more than 73
million metric tons of carbon equivalent, offsetting about 20 percent of the
growth in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions above 1990 levels; Reduce other forms of
pollution, including reducing NOx emissions by about 180,000 tons; Reduce U.S.
energy consumption by more than 85 billion kilowatt hours, contributing to at
least $6 billion in energy savings to consumers and businesses that use energy
efficient products; and Contribute to developing a new generation of fuel
efficient and low-polluting cars and trucks. We have a tremendous opportunity to
save on our nation's $600 billion annual energy bill over the next decade and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of air pollution. EPA's
voluntary energy efficiency programs will help capitalize on this tremendous
opportunity for consumers, businesses, and organizations to make smarter
equipment purchasing and investment decisions leading to a significant reduction
of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants. Voluntary initiatives to
reduce vehicle miles traveled have enormous potential to provide near- term
reductions in energy consumption, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Ensuring Safe Food and Protecting the Public from Harmful Chemicals The
President's 2002 Budget request supports the important work of applying the
latest science to ensure industrial chemicals and pesticides meet today's safety
standards. The budget also supports the complementary protections brought
through pollution prevention and voluntary partnerships. For our pesticides
programs, we have carried forward earlier increases, maintaining the
registration program at $41 million to keep a steady flow of new pesticides
coming onto the market, many of which are based on innovative and safer
chemistry. Likewise we maintain our commitment to reviewing older pesticides,
ensuring they meet Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) standards while at the
same time working with growers and the agricultural industry to help make a
smooth transition to safer pesticides. In August 2002 we expect to meet our
second statutory deadline for tolerance reassessments, completing an additional
2,527 and meeting the 66% of the 9,721 reassessments required in the law. This
budget request includes $46 million for our new and existing chemicals programs.
Chemicals are in all the products and services we enjoy in our daily lives. The
$14 million High Production Volume Chemical Challenge program aims to gather
health and safety information for the public to make better informed choices. As
part of the HPV voluntary program, 469 companies committed to provide basic
information about 2,155 chemicals. The budget request of $20 million will
support partnerships with states and private industry on pollution prevention
projects, reducing use or exposure to chemicals to reduce potential risks most
especially those chemicals that persist in our environment, collect or
bioaccumulate in our bodies, and have adverse or toxic effects in the
environment and on human health. In both the pesticide and the chemical programs
we continue to place special emphasis on reducing potential risks to children
and other vulnerable populations. Emerging science is focusing our attention on
chemicals that may harm animal or human endocrine systems, and we are working
with the scientific community to find ways to identify those chemicals as part
of our endocrine disruptor program. Let me mention here that the budget assumes
no impediment to promulgating the final pesticide tolerance fee rule in 2002,
and you will see that the request levels for the reregistration and the
tolerance reassessment programs reflect that change, namely from a
reregistration maintenance fee to a tolerance fee. These two critical programs
are fully supported with $52 million in appropriated funds if a new fee is in
place in 2002 and we will be working with you on this issue over the coming
months. Sound Science Environmental policy should always be based on the
soundest information available. The role of environmental science has become
more critical than ever in making policy decisions, thereby, improving our
ability to sustain natural resources while maintaining public trust and the
integrity of our world's ecosystem. Science has played a vital role in improving
America's environment - from targeting priority chemicals concerns, better
characterizing sources of pollution and designing control strategies. While we
must also realize that science and public policy proceed along fundamentally
different time lines, we will continue to use the best available science and
scientific analyses to aid in the development of environmental policy. EPA's FY
2002 President's budget supports a strong and rigorous research program. The FY
2002 request includes $535 million for the Office of Research and Development
(ORD), reflecting an increase of $5 million compared to the FY 2001 request.
This request will allow the Agency to support a research program focused on
addressing key environmental concerns such as the health effects of small
particles in order to assure promulgation of standards that protect human
health, and heightened interest in better addressing in Agency decisions the
unique susceptibilities of children to potential environmental health threats.
The Agency's request will also continue to support the Global Change research
program focusing efforts on assessment activities examining the potential
consequences of global change and climate variability on human health, air
quality, water quality and ecosystem health. In addition to supporting a strong
intramural science program at the Agency, the FY 2002 request provides $110
million for the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program which includes
competitively awarded
grants and fellowships. The STAR program
continues to successfully engage the best environmental scientists and engineers
from academia through a variety of competitive, peer reviewed
grants. In addition, the Agency will continue its highly
successful Postdoctoral program to hire scientists and engineers who provide a
dynamic infusion of intellectual energy and state-of-the-science expertise, as
well as assist the Agency in addressing long range research workforce planning
needs. Civil Rights The President's budget includes a $3 million increase for
civil rights activities at the agency. The increase is expected to address the
backlog of pending discrimination complaints for both Title VI and VII
complaints. I expect to announce by June 1 a comprehensive strategy for fully
eliminating the Title VI ( those complaints that concern possible acts of
discrimination by recipients of federal funding), backlog within two years. In
addition, Title VII complaints (complaints that concern possible acts of
discrimination against individuals within the Agency) will be reviewed by a
special case closure team. Our goal for Title VII complaints is to issue a final
Agency determination on all backlogged cases by no later than the end of the
year. Furthermore, this summer all 1,600 EPA supervisors and managers will
attend a national civil rights training program. The Agency has contracted with
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to provide this mandatory, two-day
course. I expect to be among the first to take the course. I pledge to
personally monitor the progress in the civil rights arena. Summary Mr. Chairman
and Members of the Committee, the President's FY 2002 Budget for EPA provides
the resources and vision necessary to reach our Nation's environmental mission
to protect the environment and human health. This budget represents this
Administration's commitment to work with our environmental partners to develop
innovative environmental programs that ensure stewardship of our land, air, and
water for generations to come. This concludes my prepared statement. I would be
pleased to answer any questions that you may have.
LOAD-DATE: May 16, 2001, Wednesday