EPA's FY 2014 Budget Proposal Maintains the Strength of Federal, State, and
Tribal Core Environmental and Human Health Protections
FY 2014 Request Focuses on Transforming the Way EPA Does Business
WASHINGTON – Today the Obama Administration proposed a Fiscal Year 2014 (FY
2014) budget of $8.153 billion for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). This request is $296 million below the EPA's budget for Fiscal Year
2012.
"EPA's FY 2014 budget reflects our firm commitment to keeping American
communities across our country healthy and clean, while also taking into
consideration the difficult fiscal situation and the declining resources of
state, local and tribal programs," said EPA Acting Administrator Bob
Perciasepe. "Our request takes a balanced approach to funding the agency,
including increased investments in more efficient technologies as well as
necessary program eliminations or reductions."
EPA's FY 2014 request will allow EPA to continue its progress in addressing
climate change; protecting the nation's air, waters, and lands; supporting
sustainable water infrastructure; and assuring the safety of chemicals. EPA
will continue to lay the groundwork to transform the way it does business,
ensuring the best use of human and financial resources, while continuing to
achieve the agency's mission effectively and efficiently.
Fiscal Year 2014 budget highlights include:
E-Enterprise to Assist Businesses and Improve EPA and States' Access to
Data. E-Enterprise, a $60 million initiative will enable EPA to begin
developing tools and expanding systems designed to reduce the reporting
burden on regulated entities and provide EPA and state regulators with
easier access to and use of environmental data. E-Enterprise seeks to
replace out-dated, paper reporting with integrated e-reporting systems
using technology and shared IT services, while encouraging greater
transparency and compliance. Similar to online banking, the new single
portal system will allow regulated businesses to register and receive
tailored information based on their unique needs. This electronic system
will facilitate commercial entities' permit applications and emissions
reporting as well as provide information on applicable regulations and
compliance status.
EPA's request includes essential resources for our state, local and tribal
partners to build integrated data systems that will improve the quality of
data collected by EPA and the states for verifying compliance with
regulations, and reduce reporting burden on industry and improve services
for the regulated entities and the American public. Additionally,
E-Enterprise builds on efforts such as e-manifest, which is projected to
reduce reporting costs for regulated businesses in the range of $77 to $126
million annually by replacing the 5.1 million paper manifests for hazardous
waste shipments with a modern tracking and reporting system.
Supporting State and Tribal Partners. The FY 2014 budget includes a total
of $1,135.8 million in categorical grants, an increase of $47 million over
FY 2012 levels. EPA remains committed to supporting our state and tribal
partners, the primary implementers of environmental programs, remains a
priority of the EPA. Funding to states and tribes in the State and Tribal
Assistance Grants (STAG) account continues to be the largest percentage of
the EPA's budget request, at nearly 40% in FY 2014.
Climate Change. EPA is proposing $176.5 million for the agency's work with
partners and stakeholders to provide information and tools to cut
greenhouse gas emissions. These funds will support reducing emissions in
the U.S. and abroad through careful, cost-effective rulemaking and
voluntary programs that focus on the largest entities while also
encouraging businesses and consumers to limit unnecessary greenhouse gas
emissions.
These funds will allow the agency to continue utilizing approaches like
ENERGY STAR, the Global Methane Initiative, the GHG Reporting Rule, and
state and local technical assistance and partnership programs, such as
SmartWay. The ENERGY STAR program continues to yield significant results
through its 20,000 partners. Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR,
prevented emissions of an estimated 242 million metric tons of carbon
dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2E), saving a total of $24 billion on their annual
utility bills in 2012 alone. The budget also includes $20 million for
research to understand the impacts of climate change on human health and
vulnerable ecosystems. This research will evaluate the interactions between
climate change and air quality and develop approaches to adapt to a
changing climate and provide state, local and Tribal partners with tools
and technologies to support their climate change programs.
Enforcement and Compliance. EPA's budget proposal requests $625 million to
maintain the strength of core national enforcement and compliance assurance
programs and for the Next Generation Compliance Initiative. In light of
fiscal constraints, the need to innovate is even greater in order for the
EPA to achieve gains in compliance over the long-term. Through the Next
Generation Compliance initiative, the EPA is developing and implementing
new methods based on advances in both monitoring and information technology
that will improve efficiency, leading to better compliance and enabling our
ability to focus on the most serious violations. By leveraging electronic
reporting and working to reduce redundant paperwork and regulatory
reporting burdens on business and our governmental partners, EPA will
contribute to improving environmental and human health protection. Next
Generation Compliance complements the agency's E-Enterprise initiative.
Improving Air Quality. The agency's proposal requests $175 million to
support its work to meet its court-ordered deadlines to develop, implement
and review statutorily mandated ambient air quality standards and guidance
and air toxics regulations. In addition, EPA will continue to provide
support to its state, local and Tribal partners to implement these rules by
providing analytical tools for emissions and quality assurance, as well as
air quality systems to house and exchange data and technology.
Addressing Phosphorus and Nitrogen Pollution in America's Waters. Nutrient
pollution is one of the nation's most widespread and challenging
environmental problems. To assist in tackling this challenge, EPA is
requesting an increase of $15 million in Clean Water Act Section 106 Water
Pollution Control grant funding to support states, interstate agencies and
tribes that commit to strengthening their nutrient management efforts.
Additionally, EPA will work to achieve water quality improvements in key
watersheds across the country in partnership with states and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. This is in addition to EPA's core clean water
programs and grants that support states in the development and
implementation of nutrient pollution reduction strategies, as well as
provide technical guidance and resources to help states develop water
quality criteria for nutrients. These efforts may also reduce the need for
treatment of drinking water, as sources are better protected from these
pollutants.
Promoting Sustainable Community Water Resources. This Fiscal Year 2014
budget seeks to ensure that federal dollars provided through the State
Revolving Funds (SRF) support efficient system-wide planning, improvements
in technical, financial, and managerial capacity, and the design,
construction, and ongoing management of sustainable water infrastructure.
The FY 2014 budget requests $1.1 billion for the Clean Water SRF and $817
million for the Drinking Water SRF. EPA is working to increase the use of
upfront planning that considers a full range of alternatives, including
"green" infrastructure, to ensure timely, relevant and cost-effective
investments.
Protecting Our Land. In FY 2014, the Agency is requesting over $1.34
billion to continue to apply the most effective approaches to preserve and
restore land by developing and implementing prevention programs, improving
response capabilities, and maximizing the effectiveness of response and
cleanup actions under RCRA, Superfund, Leaking Underground Storage Tank and
other authorities. This strategy will help ensure that human health and the
environment are protected and that land is returned to beneficial use in
the most effective way.
Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals. Ensuring the safety of new or existing
chemicals in commerce to protect the American people remains a key EPA
priority. Chemicals are used in the production of our homes and automobiles
as well as the food we eat. Chemicals often are released into the
environment as a result of their manufacturing, processing, use, and
disposal. The $686.2 million requested in FY 2014 will allow the EPA to
sustain its success in managing the potential risks of new chemicals
entering commerce without impacting progress in assessing and ensuring the
safety of existing chemicals.
Continuing EPA's Commitment to Innovative Research Solutions. EPA's
research budget provides $554 million to support critical research in key
areas such as chemical safety; sustainable water resources; healthy
communities; air, climate and energy, homeland security; and human health
risk assessment. EPA's 2014 request reflects the Obama Administration's
commitment to drive strong economic growth by supporting innovative
research to reduce pollution to our environment and public health, prepare
our communities for the consequences of climate change, and transition our
country to move towards a clean energy future.
Reducing EPA's Physical Footprint and Energy Costs. Since 2006, the EPA has
released approximately 417,000 square-feet of office space, resulting in a
cumulative annual rent avoidance of over $14.2 million. In addition, across
all agency facilities, on-going improvements in operating efficiency
combined with the use of advanced technologies and energy sources have
reduced energy utilization, resulting in annual cost savings of $5.9
million. The FY 2014 request includes $17 million to accelerate the space
consolidation effort, with $12 million to the support design and
engineering of a consolidated federally-owned EPA multi-use facility in Las
Vegas, NV. The new facility will consolidate offices currently in leased
locations, create a smaller energy-efficient office and lab footprint, and
lower operating costs.
Reducing and Eliminating Programs. The budget includes $54 million in
savings by eliminating several EPA programs that have either completed
their goals or can be implemented through other federal or state efforts.
This request also identifies 20 programs that are being reduced by 10% or
more in FY 2014.
More information: http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy2014
