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Hearing page

Chair: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)

• Michael S. Regan, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Briefing Memorandum: The Biden Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2023 funding request proposes $11.881 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in discretionary funding, a $2.3 billion increase from the Agency’s FY 2022 regular enacted appropriations. The President’s budget requests funding as follows for eight overarching goals for EPA.

• “Tackle the Climate Crisis with Urgency”—$100 million for grants for states and Tribes to reduce methane emissions and increase infrastructure resiliency; an additional $35 million over FY 2021 enacted levels to implement the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act to continue phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); and $152.2 million for developing, implementing, and ensuring compliance with national vehicle emission standards
• “Restore Critical Capacity to Carry Out EPA’s Core Mission”—over 1,900 new Full Time Equivalents (FTE) to empower EPA to continue fulfilling its goals of reducing air, climate, and water pollution; advancing environmental justice; and protecting public health
• “Advance Environmental Justice”—$615.4 million across EPA to bolster environmental justice efforts, including a new Environmental Justice National Program Manager, and $100 million for air quality monitoring programs
• “Upgrade Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Nationwide”—$4.4 billion for water infrastructure
• “Protect Communities from Hazardous Waste and Environmental Damage”—includes $1.2 billion for the Superfund program and $215 million for Brownfields remediation projects, including for grants and technical assistance
• “Strengthen the Administration’s Commitment to Successfully Implement the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and Transform the Science of New Chemical Reviews”—provides $124 million and 449 FTE for EPA to carry out efforts under the TSCA program to protect Americans from hazardous chemicals, including completing chemical risk evaluations, issuing protecting regulations, and establishing a pipeline of prioritized chemicals for risk evaluation
• “Tackle Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Pollution”—includes $126 million for the study of PFAS on human health and the environment; restricting the use of PFAS to prevent air, land, and water contamination; and PFAS remediation
• “Enforce and Assure Compliance with the Nation’s Environmental Laws”—provides $213 million for civil enforcement efforts, with specific funding directed to increase prevention of illegal HFC importations, $7 million for a coal combustion residuals compliance program, $148 million for compliance monitoring focused on underserved and overburdened communities, and $69 million for criminal enforcement efforts