The Trump Administration aims to squeeze funds from climate change and environmental programs to direct them to fortifying the military.
According to a person with direct knowledge of the proposal, the White House is proposing a significant cut, by as much as a quarter, in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s budget.
As a result, program that help mitigate climate-change and those that were designed to prevent air and water pollutions will not have budgetary support.
While U.S. President Donald Trump has long chosen to be blind to the effects of climate change, unlike his predecessor, former Democratic President Barack Obama, the Republican president had vowed to overhaul green regulation.
These proposed changes could jeopardize America’s water and air quality.
The changes could become law without facing much resistance since the Congress is controlled by Republicans.
The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment while the White House had no comment to make.
As per the source, the proposal which was sent to the EPA sometime this week aims at cutting lead cleanup costs by a whopping 30%. Budgetary allocation for an EPA program that aims to cut the emission of greenhouse gases such as methane, will be cut by 70%.
Significantly, the proposal also aims to reduce funding for enforcing pollution laws by 11%.
All eyes on the U.S. Congress
According to Scott Pruitt, EPA’s new chief, the cleanups of industrial and hazardous waste sites along with improvements in water infrastructure would be his priority. It is to be seen how these clean-ups will be impacted since the White House has proposed severe cuts to these programs.
“In this budget discussion that is ongoing with Congress that is just starting, there are some concerns about some of these grant programs that EPA has been a part of historically,” said Pruitt.
“I want you to know that with the White House and also with Congress, I am communicating a message that the brownfields program, the Superfund program and the water infrastructure grants and state revolving funds are essential to protect,” he added.
“As a candidate, Trump made a big deal out of EPA’s failure in Flint, but now he’s cutting 30 percent out of lead cleanup in his proposed budget. This is an example of his empty promises to do right by the American people,” said Travis Nichols, a spokesman for Greenpeace.
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