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HEADLINES
Obama FY2010 budget: water increases in, earmarks out
Editor's Note: See link below to comment on this article.  | | President Obama's FY2010 budget request for the DWSRF would be an 82 percent increase if Congress agrees. AP Photo/J. Schoot Applewhite/File |
Water programs and the US Environmental Protection Agency would see huge boosts in the detailed budget for FY2010 released by President Obama last week, but to the dismay of some, Obama also terminated funding for 301 earmarks for water projects totaling $145 million that had been added to the FY2009 spending bill.
Obama’s FY2010 budget, which now must be passed by the 111th Congress, proposes funding the USEPA at $10.5 billion, significantly higher than the $7.6 billion appropriated for the agency in FY2009. The Drinking Water State Revolving Funds gets an 82 percent funding boost in Obama’s proposal — to a total $1.5 billion. Proposing a 248 percent increase, Obama allocates $2.4 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Funds. A new stipulation was added on both SRFs, however — "not less than 20 percent of funds …shall be for projects to address green infrastructure, water or energy efficiency improvements or other environmentally innovative activities." Funding for water and wastewater facilities on the US–Mexico border was set at $10 million (down from $20 million in 2009) and grants to Alaska to address drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs of rural and native villages also were set at $10 million (down from $18.5 million in 2009). "Preventing pollution at its source is the agency’s preferred strategy for reducing risk and minimizing environmental impacts," the budget document stated. Enforcement programs will receive funding for 30 new staff openings, matched by an enforcement budget that is the highest to date. But those water project earmarks are out of order and should be terminated (PDF), the administration notified Congress. "These grants are duplicative of funding available for such projects through the [CWSRF and DWSRF] but are not subject to the state priority-setting process for these programs, which typically funds cost-effective and higher priority activities first," the administration explained. Offering additional explanations, the administration said it opposed earmarked water projects because they "require more oversight and technical assistance than standard grants because many recipients are unprepared to spend or manage funds" and tie up USEPA resources longer. The earmarks had been part of the FY2009 budget’s State and Tribal Assistance Grants, legislation that was crafted by the 110th Congress but not passed until early 2009. STAG funding, which includes the SRFs, Mexico and Alaska funding, mushroomed to $5.2 billion in FY2010 (up from $2.96 billion in FY2009). Public Water Systems Supervision Grants are proposed to be funded at $105.7 million (an increase from $99.1 million in FY2009). The STAG funding proposal also includes $18.5 million for state participation in national statistical surveys of water resources and enhancements to state monitoring programs. The new budget proposal changes the maximum possible state "set aside" percentages to 2 percent of SRF funds (up from 1.5 percent.) Funding of $475 million to restore the Great Lakes is requested, along with $35.1 million to continue the Chesapeake Bay cleanup. The Water Security Initiative — to demonstrate, test and evaluate contamination warning systems at drinking water utilities — is set to get $24 million (up from $15.1 million in FY2009 and $11.8 million in FY2008). "Greening of Water Infrastructure Research" was a major change highlighted in the budget proposal. It suggested $3.6 million (up from $0.6 million in FY2009) to expand "green infrastructure research to assess, develop and compile scientifically rigorous tools and models that will be used by the agency’s water program, states and municipalities to help advance the deployment of green infrastructure." Eliminated from the USEPA budget proposal are the Homeland Security grants for drinking water and wastewater systems ($5 million in FY2009) "due to low use of funding over a number of years and decreased state demand for these funds resulting from completion of high priority activities associated with the Bioterrorism Act of 2002." USEPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s press conference announcing and discussing the FY2010 budget request is available as an online audio file. Additional AWWA Resources:
Sandy Nance, Managing Editor
Posted: 05/12/2009
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