Excerpt from: Environmental Compliance
|
 |
| February 15, 2006 | | Got Clean Water? There will be less of it if the Bush administration has its way. | |
President Bush announced his 2007 Budget
spending plan last Tuesday to slash the EPA’s 2007 budget by 5%. The $315 million reduction in spending
is mainly seen in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund where $200 million will
be cut. Environmentalists and
legislators across the country are extremely alarmed by the news.
Sen. James Jeffords,
I-Vt., said it shows
the environment isn't a Bush administration
priority. "We cannot allow this dangerous trend to
continue," said Jeffords, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee.
How Dirty is your
Water?
By far, the deepest cuts at EPA affect
water quality – slashed to the lowest levels ever. The Clean Water State
Revolving Fund (CWSRF), which provides states with low interest
loans for priority
water pollution control projects, was hit particularly hard. The 2007 program is
targeted for cuts totaling $200 million and
have drastically reduced from 2004 levels.
Is the U.S. EPA's Clean Water
State Revolving Fund Drying
Up?
2004: $1.24
billion
2005: $1.09
billion
2006: $887
million
2007:
$687 million (proposed by
Bush)
"This is the most troubling budget we've
seen from this White House," said Heather Taylor, deputy legislative director
for Natural Resources Defense Council.
The news is frustrating,
especially in today's world where every penny is needed to combat polluted water
and other environmental endeavors. The EPA, tasked with protecting
human health and the environment, shouldn't be forced to decide which sites will
benefit from clean water because of a lack of
funding.
by
Erin Swanson
ESwanson@enviance.com | | |
|
|
