States Urge Congress To Focus FY12 Cuts On Water Funds, Not Grants

摘要

With Congress' attention turning to the fiscal year 2012 budget and likely funding cuts for EPA, states are urging lawmakers to focus any spending reductions on the agency's billion-dollar water infrastructure accounts and avoid any cuts to the categorical grants that helps pay for states to run delegated federal environmental programs. States could "absorb" additional cuts to EPA's clean water and drinking water state revolving funds (SRFs), Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) President Richard Opper recently told House appropriators, because the accounts received massive boosts in the 2009 economic stimulus law and FY10 budget. But further cuts to categorical grants could prompt more states to return their delegated programs to the agency, Opper warned.