Beyond Harvey and Irma: Congress to Begin Voting on Budgets that Could Weaken Disaster Preparedness and Hollow Out the EPA
EDF Action Releases List of Key Programs on the Chopping Block
(Sept. 6, 2017) EDF Action today released a list of more than 15 key EPA initiatives (in an attached fact sheet) facing dangerous reductions or even elimination, efforts that help states and communities assess risks, clean up hazardous leaks, provide neighborhoods with information about threats, train emergency responders, and help low-income communities that often live near environmental hazards.
As Hurricane Irma bears down on the United States, Congress is getting ready to vote on whether to slash key Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs that help communities prepare for and respond to natural catastrophes, and that protect the health and safety of Americans year-round.
This spring, President Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt released a budget that would cut the EPA’s budget by 30 percent, to its lowest level since the 1970s.
“The EPA is already stretched thin after years of declining budgets,” said Elgie Holstein, EDF Action’s Senior Director for Strategic Planning. “Cutting the EPA budget would leave America more vulnerable to disaster, and threaten America’s environment, public health and economy for years to come.”
Last month, the Environmental Defense Fund released a series of reports, State of Risk, cataloguing the impact that EPA budget cuts would pose to citizens in 16 states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, IL, IN, MN, MT, NJ, NV, OH, PA, TN, VA, WI & WV. The reports are available at www.EDF.org/EPAcuts.
EDF Action experts are available to provide further context and comment about the EPA budget; please contact Ben Schneider, bschneider@
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EDF Action (www.edfaction.org) is at the forefront of educating legislators about developing new solutions that protect the natural world while growing the economy. Through grassroots and direct lobbying, EDF Action amplifies Environmental Defense Fund’s ability to champion laws that are based on science, economic incentives, and, above all, the protection of our environment.
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