EPA’s FY 19 Budget Request
On February 12, the Administration released the FY 19 budget request for all Federal Agencies FY 19 budget request. That document showed an overall EPA request figure of $5.4 billion; however, that figure had not been updated to reflect the 11th hour budget agreement. The actual overall fiscal 2019 funding request for EPA is $6.15 billion, still a significant decrease from FY 17’s enacted level of $8.26 billion. Later that same day, EPA posted it’s FY 2019 EPA Budget in Brief that outlines program funding in greater detail.
In general, the news is not good for either state drinking water programs or EPA. Here are some of the funding requests in key areas of concern:
EPA funding by program account:
- Science & Technology Program Account: $448,965,000
- Environmental Programs & Management Account: $1,738,852,000
- State & Tribal Assistance Grants Account: $2,929,467,000
Drinking water programs of concern:
- PWSS: $67,892,000 (33% below FY 17 enacted)
- DWSRF: $863,233,000 (no change from FY 17 enacted)
- Great Lakes Restoration: $30,000,000 (92% below FY 17 levels)
- Chesapeake Bay: $7,300,000 (89% below FY 17 levels)
- Alaska Native Villages: $3,000,000 (85% below FY 17 enacted)
- US/Mexico Border: -$0-
Other program areas:
- CWSRF: $1,393,887,000 (a $9,466,000 increase above FY 17 enacted)
- 106: $141,799,000 ($69.7 million below FY 17)
- 319: -$0-
- WIFIA: $20,000,000 (not included in the FY 17 omnibus)
While many of the decreases are attributable to offsets found the Administrations proposed infrastructure initiative, core program support needs such as for the PWSS program are strikingly absent. ASDWA will continue to track and share more details as they become available.
