EPA FY 12 Appropriations Levels Looking Grim

The House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee, Chair Mike Simpson (R-ID), is tentatively expecting to mark up the FY 12 funding bill for EPA on July 6th.  He cautions, however, that the funding level “…is not going to be pretty, but it is not going to be pretty for any agency.”  Simpson points to the recent funding infusions from prior appropriations bills and the stimulus for justification as to why EPA’s cuts may appear to be disproportionately deep.  The FY 12 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies budget allocation (which includes EPA) has already been decreased overall by $2.1 billion under the House’s budget resolution package.  No information is available, as yet, as to how much of the decrease will be applied against EPA’s share of the overall funding for this portion of the Federal budget (which is expected to total about $27.5 billion).  The Administration’s FY 12 budget request for EPA is nearly $9 billion.