In New FY12 Budget Skirmish, House GOP Seeks EPA Cuts, Policy Riders

摘要

Congress appears to be moving closer to a deal to fund EPA and other agencies through the rest of fiscal year 2012, but a late skirmish over how to pay for a payroll tax cut and some controversial environmental provisions stalled the effort, a delay that prompted the House GOP to float a bill that would cut EPA by $233 million and block some policies. While the House does not appear to be acting on the GOP bill, it is prompting concerns among environmentalists in part because it seeks to block several EPA policies, including the agency's permitting program for mountaintop coal mines in Appalachia, EPA water permits for logging roads, and greenhouse gas reporting (GHG) and permit requirements for farms.