Letter
Letter to Senate on EPA-DOI Approriations, June 25, 2018
Letter from Bishop Frank J. Dewane, Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development to Senate on EPA-DOI Appropriations, June 25, 2018
As the Senate considers the Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, support for environmental stewardship and its moral and human dimensions should be given priority. Adequate funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Interior (DOI) is essential since all people depend on the environment for their livelihood, health, recreation and survival.
In March, Congress passed a budget package for FY 2018 that maintained or increased funding for many EPA and DOI programs that protect natural resources and safeguard public and environmental health. With the appropriations process for the next fiscal year well underway, it is time once again to uphold these values and oppose unnecessary and harmful cuts to environmental stewardship. President Trump’s budget plan for fiscal year 2019 calls for an unacceptable $4.1 billion cut to stewardship programs of the EPA and the DOI.
The House and Senate bills that have advanced out of committee improve upon the President’s request in a few important ways. Overall, funding for DOI programs remains steady at 2018 levels, and both bills include commendable increases to the National Park Service. The House also proposes an increase in funding for Superfund cleanup, an essential component of the EPA’s mandate to maintain clean air, water, and soil. Funding for EPA’s geographic programs are also maintained. Yet, the House bill also includes some disappointing cuts, including $100 million to EPA funding overall, as well as a $65 million decrease in funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Senate bill that passed out of committee rejects harmful cuts to the EPA while focusing funding on strong environmental stewardship.
In your deliberations, you are urged to maintain, or if possible, increase funding to the EPA and DOI, as these agencies oversee crucial programs that protect our nation’s natural resources. Funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund should continue to be maintained, as it is key to good environmental stewardship. You are also urged to adopt the funding increases as reflected in the House bill mentioned above.