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FY 2006 Budget Protects Public Health and the Environment

Release Date: 02/07/2005
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(Washington, D.C. - 02/07/05) President Bush's 2006 budget provides $7.6 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency and its partners across the nation. EPA Acting Administrator Steve Johnson and key Agency officials announced the budget at a Washington, D.C., news briefing today. The budget supports the Agency's core work of protecting public health and improving the environment, addresses needs identified in the EPA's Strategic Plan, and increases resources for EPA's critical role in security against terrorist acts.

"The President's budget, coupled with our proven ability to leverage outcomes through strategic partnerships, insures we will continue to pick up the pace of protecting the public and the environment, while fulfilling EPA's role in homeland security," said EPA Acting Administrator Steve Johnson.

To help increase security against potential terrorist acts, the President's Budget provides:

A $79 million increase in new resources for EPA homeland security efforts over the 2005 budget, to ensure that EPA's critical role is made a top priority. Included in the $79 million increase in Homeland Security funding is:

• $44 million to launch a pilot program of monitoring and surveillance in select cities to provide early warning of contamination;
• An increase of $19.4 million for environmental decontamination research and preparedness, with an additional $4 million requested for the Safe Buildings research program; and
• More than $11.6 million in new resources to support preparedness in our environmental laboratories.

To address the high priority of reducing nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions, the President's budget provides:

• That EPA will continue to support the enactment of the Clear Skies legislation, and should legislation not be enacted soon, to finalize the proposed Clean Air Interstate Rule.

To reduce emissions from trucks and other mobile sources, the President's budget provides:

• $15 million for the national Clean Diesel Initiative, which will be leveraged significantly by working with our partners. EPA and a coalition of clean diesel interests will work together to expand the retrofitting of diesel engines in new sectors.

To ensure cleaner lands and economic revitalization through waste site cleanups, the President's budget provides:

• $210 million for the national Brownfields Program, an increase of $46.9 million over enacted 2005 funding. Under this program, EPA is working with its state, tribal and local partners to meet its objective to sustain, clean up and restore contaminated properties and abandoned sites.

• Together with the extension of the Brownfields tax credit, EPA expects to achieve the following in FY 2006:

● Assess 1,000 Brownfields properties;
● Clean up 60 properties using Brownfields funding;
● Leverage an additional $1 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding; and
● Create 5,000 jobs related to the Brownfields efforts.

To ensure cleaner, safer water, the President's budget provides:

• $2.8 billion to improve the quality of surface and drinking waters by expanding the nationwide monitoring network and taking watershed-wide approaches to water quality protection;

• $730 million for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to support sustainable wastewater infrastructure; and

• $73 million for the Great Lakes programs and regional collaboration. That amount includes $50 million for the Great Lakes Legacy Act program to remediate the contaminated sediment in Areas of Concern such as the Black Lagoon in the Detroit River.

For the Summary of EPA's FY2006 budget request with additional specific program-related information visit:
https://www.epa.gov/budget .

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