For years and years, global warming has continued to
proliferate and worsen. Meanwhile, the EPA has received a paltry sum of funding
– not enough to do the things they need to do to ensure environmental
protection. That all could soon change.
Last week, the Obama administration proposed a budget of
$10.5 billion for the EPA, an increase of $3 billion from 2008 funding levels
and the largest in the agency’s 39-year history. This increase will further
ensure the protection of public health and the environment for all Americans,
EPA said.
“The president’s
budget proposes critical resources to protect the American people and the
places where they live, work and play,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.
“We are no longer faced with the false choice of a strong economy or a clean
environment. The president’s budget shows that making critical and responsible
investments in protecting the health and environment of all Americans will also
lead to a more vibrant and stable economy.”
Obama also recently announced the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009, which includes $7.22 billion for EPA-administered
projects and programs to protect human health and the environment.
Plus, GHG finally has a seat at the table with a $19 million
increase for greenhouse gas emissions inventory and related activities which will
provide data critical for implementing a comprehensive climate change bill.
EPA’s funding for climate change investments is the
foundation for working with key stakeholders and Congress to develop an
economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
approximately 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. If this type of system is
put into place, as many suspect, it will have dramatic effects on global industry.
It will truly be a “game changer” and a development that will make companies
embrace sustainability, even if they don’t want to. And that’s what it going to
take to reduce global warming. | 
