Issued: Mar 11, 2024 (12:47pm EDT)

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Statement by Administrator Regan on the President's Fiscal Year 2025 Budget

President Biden's Fiscal Year 2025 Budget requests $11 billion to support EPA's essential work to tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and protect human health and the environment

WASHINGTON – Today, March 11, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration released the President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2025. Following historic progress made since the President took office—with nearly 15 million jobs created and inflation down two-thirds—the Budget protects and builds on this progress by lowering costs for working families, protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare, investing in America and the American people, and reducing the deficit by cracking down on fraud, cutting wasteful spending, and making the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share.

"President Biden's Investing in America agenda and the FY 2025 Budget for EPA deliver bold environmental actions and economic benefits for communities across the county," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "The Budget announced today will advance the agency's ongoing efforts to address our most critical environmental challenges, from combating climate change, to ensuring clean air, safe water, and healthy lands, to protecting communities from harmful chemicals. EPA's work will benefit all Americans and we have made it a priority to ensure that a commitment to environmental justice is central to all of the agency's efforts as we continue our work to help disadvantaged and overburdened areas become healthier, more resilient, communities."

The Budget makes critical, targeted investments in the American people that will promote greater prosperity for decades to come. At EPA, the Budget will:

• Advance Environmental Justice. The Budget bolsters the agency's efforts to achieve environmental justice in communities across the Nation by investing nearly $1.5 billion in environmental justice-related programs. This investment supports the implementation of the President's Justice40 commitment, which ensures at least 40 percent of the benefits of federal investments in climate and clean energy as well as infrastructure work reach disadvantaged communities, including rural and Tribal communities. These investments continue to support efforts to promote cleaner air and cleaner water, focusing on frontline communities.

• Urgently Tackle Climate Change. The Budget prioritizes combatting climate change with the urgency that science demands. The Budget includes $2.9 billion in climate-related programs to support work reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, building resilience in the face of climate impacts including engaging with the global community, expanding upon the GHG Reporting Program and Sinks Inventory, and implementing provisions in the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act to continue phasing out the production and import of hydrofluorocarbons.

• Invest in Clean Air. The FY 2025 Budget provides a total of $1.5 billion for the Office of Air and Radiation, an increase of $690 million since the beginning of the Administration, to continue the development of national programs, policies, and regulations that control indoor and outdoor air pollution and radiation exposure. This funding includes $423 million to assist EPA's Tribal, state, and local partners in implementing their air quality management programs, an increase of $158 million from the current levels. Also included is $100 million for the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Program, which funds grants and rebates to reduce harmful emissions from diesel engines, and $70 million for the Targeted Airshed Grants, which help reduce air pollution in the most polluted nonattainment areas. The Budget provides $186 million for the Federal Vehicle and Fuels Standards Certification Program, which develops analytical methods, regulations, and analysis to reduce GHG emissions from mobile sources.

• Support the President's Goal of Replacing All Lead Pipes. The Budget includes a total of $101 million for two EPA grant programs dedicated to remediating lead contamination in drinking water—the Reducing Lead in Drinking Water grant program and the Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program—an increase of $53 million over 2021 levels. This investment, along with other programs at EPA that can be used for lead projects, builds on the historic $15 billion in direct funding for lead pipe replacement through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and underscores the President's commitment to ensuring access to safe drinking water and creating good-paying jobs in the process.

• Invest in Critical Water Infrastructure. The Budget provides a total of $2.4 billion for the State Revolving Funds (SRFs) for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, an increase of more than $1 billion over the current levels. The SRFs provide states with resources to fund high priority projects that improve human health and environmental conditions. These funds, and other water infrastructure programs within EPA, like the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) credit program and the two $25 million grants programs focused on infrastructure resilience and sustainability, complement funding provided for water infrastructure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Budget also includes $30 million for a new program that addresses gaps in resources to help improve the Federal response to water-related emergencies, such as the recent arsenic contamination of a public well in Coachella Valley, CA, and the drinking water access crisis in Jackson, MS.

• Safeguard Against Dangerous Chemicals and Protecting Public Health and the Environment. EPA has a responsibility under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to ensure the safety of chemicals in or entering commerce and addressing any unreasonable risks to human health or the environment. The Budget invests nearly $132 million, an increase of $49 million above current levels to continue building core capacity and modernizing information technology and data software for the TSCA Program. The Budget also provides $208 million for Brownfields to support efforts to revitalize sites by awarding grants and providing technical assistance to Tribes, states, local communities, and other stakeholders to plan, inventory, assess, safely clean up, and reuse brownfields sites. Additionally, the Budget proposes approximately $170 million for EPA to continue addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through actions highlighted in the agency's PFAS Strategic Roadmap. 

• Continue to Build Back Capacity to Carry Out EPA's Core Mission. The Budget adds more than 2,000 Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) relative to the 2023 Operating Budget, for a total of more than 17,000 FTEs. This continues to build back capacity for oversight of delegated programs, enforcement and compliance, land clean-up, grant deployment, public communication and engagement, and scientific research in support of all offices at EPA. These staffing investments will enable EPA to better serve the American people and protect public health and the environment.

• Ensure Compliance with and Enforcement of the Nation's Environmental Laws. The Budget provides $260 million for civil enforcement efforts, which includes funding to prevent the illegal importation and use of hydrofluorocarbons in the United States. The Budget also includes $172 million for compliance monitoring efforts, including funds to conduct inspections in underserved and overburdened communities and rebuilding the inspector corps, and $77 million for criminal enforcement efforts. The agency will implement the National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives to target these investments at the most serious environmental violations.

• Support State and Tribal Partners. The Budget continues to request additional resources to directly support EPA's Tribal, state, and local partners with an investment of $1.5 billion in categorical grants, an increase of $304 million. This includes a new $25 million program to develop and fund Direct Implementation Tribal Cooperative Agreements to advance equitable implementation of EPA authorities and directives in Indian Country, which will include a focus on increasing resilience to climate change impacts.

The Budget builds on the President's record while achieving meaningful deficit reduction through measures that cut wasteful spending and ask the wealthy to pay their fair share.

Find more information on the President's FY 2025 Budget and EPA's Congressional Justification and Budget in Brief.

For further information: press@epa.gov

 

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MONDAY: EPA Administrator Regan to Visit Florida to Celebrate Funding for Clean School Buses from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda

View as a webpage / Share MONDAY: EPA Administrator Regan to Visit Florida to Celebrate Funding for Clean School Buses from President Biden's Investing in America Agenda Following President Biden's State of the Union address, EPA Administrator will join Mayor Daniella Levine Cava in Richmond Heights where the local school district is set to receive new electric buses WASHINGTON – On Monday, March 11, 2024, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan will travel to Richmond Heights in Miami-Dade County, Florida to celebrate funding for new clean school buses delivered to the state. Miami-Dade County Public Schools received nearly $20 million to purchase 50 brand new electric school buses thanks to President Biden's Investing in America Agenda, which is delivering environmental benefits for all, growing the economy from the middle out and bottom up, and creating jobs and opportunities for communities across the country. The Administrator will join Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jose L. Dotres, local officials, and students to discuss the impacts of these investments and the nation's transition to a clean transportation future. During the visit to Coral Reef High School, Administrator Regan will deliver remarks highlighting the new electric school buses coming to Miami-Dade County, take questions from the press, and join students and officials for an electric school bus ride. All portions of the event are open to press. Space on the bus ride is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Who: EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Jose L. Dotres Local officials and students from Miami-Dade County Public Schools What:               Press event and electric school bus ride-along with Administrator Regan, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and Superintendent Dr. Jose L. Dotres to highlight President Biden's investments in America and the transition to a clean transportation future. Where:  Coral Reef High School 10101 S.W. 152nd Street Richmond Heights, Florida, United States  When: Monday March 11, 2024 – 10:30 am ET, press should plan to arrive no later than 15 minutes prior to the event start time. RSVP: Credentialed media should use the event RSVP form to RSVP no later than 8 AM ET, Monday, March 11, 2024. Register Here Learn more about Children's Health and Healthy School Environments.

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IRS Direct Pay Final Rules

The IRS is hosting office hours for direct pay applicable entities that have questions specifically about the pre-filing registration

View as a webpage / Share Direct Pay Final Rules As part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released final rules on elective pay, (otherwise known as "direct pay").  Elective pay is an important mechanism in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that helps enable state, local, and Tribal governments; non-profit organizations; Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories; and other entities to take advantage of clean energy tax credits. Treasury's elective pay final rules provide certainty for applicable entities to understand the law's scope and requirements for eligibility. Some highlights of the final regulations include: Definition of "applicable entity" Pre-filing registration process Determining tax year for entities that do not have a Federal income tax or Form 990 filing obligation Special rule on tax-exempt grants and forgivable loans Applicable entities that co-own electricity-producing applicable credit property Check out the following elective pay resources: Elective Pay Overview, Publication 5817 Rural Electric Cooperatives, Publication 5817-A U.S. Territorial Governments, Publication 5817-B Alaska Native Corporations, Publication 5817-C Tax-Exempt Organizations, Publication 5817-D State and Local Government, Publication 5817-E Indian Tribal Governments, Publication 5817-F Clean Energy Tax Incentives: Elective Pay Eligible Tax Credits, Publication 5817-G IRS Elective Pay Frequently Asked Questions Treasury.gov/IRS-ResourcesHub IRS.gov/ElectivePay CleanEnergy.gov/DirectPay In addition to these final rules, Treasury and the IRS also released a proposed rule that is intended to provide further clarity and flexibility for applicable entities that that co-own clean energy projects and would like to utilize elective pay.  Finally, the IRS is hosting upcoming office hours for direct pay applicable entities that have questions specifically about the pre-filing registration process. A schedule of those hours and links to register can be found below:    March 13, 2024, 1-2:30 PM EDT: Register Here March 20, 2024, 1-2:30 PM EDT: Register Here March 27, 2024, 1-2:30 PM EDT: Register Here April 3, 2024, 1-2:30 PM EDT: Register Here April 10, 2024, 1-2:30 PM EDT: Register Here April 17, 2024, 1-2:30 PM EDT: Register Here April 24, 2024, 1-2:30 PM EDT: Register Here The final rules follow the proposed regulations on elective pay issued on June 14, 2023. Upon issuing the proposed guidance, Treasury received and carefully considered 151 written comments, conducted a public hearing, and held a Tribal consultation.  Learn more about Children's Health and Healthy School Environments.

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Issued: Mar 5, 2024 (1:23pm EST)

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EPA Adds Sites to the Superfund National Priorities List in Illinois, Iowa, Navajo Nation, Louisiana and Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON — Today, Mar. 5, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding five sites and proposing to add three additional sites to the Superfund National Priorities List. The NPL is a list of known sites throughout the United States and its territories where historic releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants pose significant threats to human health and the environment. 

President Biden's historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to accelerate EPA's work to clean up NPL sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund remedial program. The law also reinstated the Superfund "polluter pays" chemical excise taxes to help clean up such sites, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. Due to this historic funding, EPA was able to clear the pre-existing backlog of unfunded Superfund sites and has provided as much cleanup funding in the past two years as it did in the previous five years. 

"Today's updates are a crucial step forward as the Biden-Harris Administration works comprehensively to clean up some of the nation's most contaminated sites, especially those in communities already overburdened by pollution," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "Cleaning up contaminated land and groundwater and returning them for productive use to communities is a win-win-win for our environment, for public health and for the economy." 

The five added sites and one of the proposed additions (Upper Columbia River) to the NPL are located in communities historically overburdened by pollution. These sites raise potential environmental justice concerns based on income, demographic, education, linguistic, and life expectancy data. By taking action to add and propose to add these sites to the NPL, EPA is working to protect communities in the greatest need – in alignment with President Biden's Justice40 Initiative, which makes it a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, and other investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

EPA is adding the following sites to the National Priorities List:

• Former Exide Technologies Laureldale; Laureldale, Pennsylvania
• Acme Steel Coke Plant; Chicago, Illinois
• Exide Baton Rouge; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Lot 46 Valley Gardens TCE; Des Moines, Iowa
• Lukachukai Mountains Mining District; Cove, Navajo Nation

EPA is proposing to add the following sites to the National Priorities List:

• Gelman Sciences Inc; Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Afterthought Mine; Bella Vista, California
• Upper Columbia River; Upper Columbia River, Washington

Past activities at the sites announced today include uranium, copper, zinc, lead, silver and gold mining; lead smelting and refining; coke, molten iron and steel production; and battery manufacturing and recycling. Site contaminants are numerous and includes hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, zinc and other metals; radium 226; chlorinated solvents; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Contamination affects surface water, groundwater, soil, air and sediment. 

Background:   

The NPL includes sites with the nation's most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. This list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at non-federal sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.  

Before EPA adds a site to the NPL, a site must meet EPA's requirements and be proposed for addition to the list in the Federal Register, subject to a 60-day public comment period. EPA may add the site to the NPL if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments. 

Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup. 

Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has followed through on commitments to update the NPL twice a year, as opposed to once per year. Today's announcement is the first time EPA is updating the NPL in 2024. 

Learn more about Superfund and the National Priorities List. 

For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the NPL and proposed sites, please visit: 

New Proposed and New Superfund National Priorities List Sites.

 

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Issued: Mar 1, 2024 (10:00am EST)

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EPA launches new office to strengthen engagement with agricultural and rural communities

WASHINGTON – Today, March 1, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is establishing a new office to expand engagement opportunities with agricultural and rural communities. The creation of the first-ever EPA Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs represents the Biden-Harris Administration's ongoing commitment to improving environmental stewardship and economic opportunity for America's farmers and ranchers, as well as strengthening the vitality of small towns and rural communities.

"Farmers and ranchers are crucial partners as we work together to deliver clean air, clear water, and climate solutions, all while playing the critical role of ensuring an abundant fiber, fuel and food supply," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "With the launch of this new office, we are ensuring agricultural and rural stakeholders will continue to have a seat at the table for many years to come."

Administrator Regan announced the creation of the new office alongside U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack while delivering remarks at the 2024 Commodity Classic in Houston, Texas, the largest farmer-led annual convention in the country. He is the first EPA Administrator in history to attend the seminal event.

The new Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will be led by Rod Snyder, who has served as Administrator Regan's Senior Advisor for Agriculture since October 2021. The new office will expand on the work of the Ag Advisor and increase coordination with a network of existing agriculture policy advisors located in all ten EPA regional offices across the country.

In close coordination with EPA's program offices and regions, the office will forge practical, science-based solutions that protect the environment while ensuring a vibrant and productive agricultural system. In support of the Biden-Harris Administration's Rural Partners Network, the new office will also collaborate with small, underserved towns and rural communities that are seeking federal investments in infrastructure upgrades and other community improvement opportunities.

Additionally, the new office will facilitate closer coordination with relevant federal and state partners such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and state departments of agriculture. The office will also house EPA's existing Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee (FRRCC). The Committee provides independent policy recommendations to Administrator Regan on a range of policies that impact agriculture and rural communities.

Please visit the Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs website for more information.

For further information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

 

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Issued: Mar 1, 2024 (9:00am EST)

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EPA finalizes stronger safety standards to protect at-risk communities from chemical accidents

WASHINGTON – Today, Mar. 1, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is announcing finalized amendments to the Risk Management Program to further protect at-risk communities from chemical accidents, especially those located near facilities in industry sectors with high accident rates. The "Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention Rule" includes EPA's most protective safety provisions for chemical facilities in history, requiring stronger measures for prevention, preparedness, and public transparency. The rule protects the health and safety of all communities by requiring industry to prevent accidental releases of dangerous chemicals that could otherwise cause deaths and injuries, damage property and the environment, or require surrounding communities to evacuate or shelter-in-place.

"Many communities that are vulnerable to chemical accidents are in overburdened and underserved areas of the country," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "This final rule is a critical piece of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to advancing environmental justice by putting in place stronger safety requirements for industrial facilities and new measures to protect communities from harm." 

The final rule includes revisions to improve chemical process safety, to assist in planning, preparing for, and responding to accidents, and to increase public awareness of chemical hazards at regulated sources. The rule requires regulated facilities to perform a safer technologies and alternatives analysis, and in some cases, facilities will be required to implement reliable safeguard measures as practicable. This new requirement is expected to reduce the frequency and severity of accidents.

For example, in 2019, an explosion and fire at the TPC Group in Port Neches, Texas, resulted in the largest number of evacuees in history (50,000 people), as well as $153 million in offsite property damage. Had the provisions being finalized today been in effect prior to the TPC Group accident, the facility would have been required to perform a safer technologies and alternatives analysis and implement at least one safeguard measure, which may have mitigated or prevented the accident from occurring.

The final rule covers all 11,740 regulated RMP facilities across the country and contains more rigorous requirements for a subgroup of facilities that are more accident-prone and pose the greatest risk to communities. EPA estimates that accidental releases from RMP facilities cost society more than $540 million each year. There are approximately 131 million people living within three miles of RMP facilities, of which approximately 20 million identify as Black or African American, 32 million identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 44 million earn less than or equal to twice the poverty level.

The rule also includes provisions such as empowering workers in safety decisions and increasing access to RMP facility information for communities living and working in the surrounding areas. To further enhance public transparency, in the coming months, EPA is working toward making RMP information available on the agency's website.

EPA incorporated robust stakeholder input and coordinated with other federal chemical safety and security agencies during the rulemaking process that were vital in developing a comprehensive proposal and effective final rule to further protect at-risk communities from chemical accidents. Final amendments to the rule include:

• Requiring a safer technologies and alternatives analysis, and in some cases, implementation of reliable safeguard measures for certain facilities in industry sectors with high accident rates.
• Advancing employee participation, training, and opportunities for employee decision-making in facility accident prevention, for example:
• Reiterating the allowance of a partial or complete process shutdown in the event of a potential catastrophic release.
• Implementing a process to allow employees and their representatives to anonymously report specific unaddressed hazards.

• Requiring third-party compliance audits and root cause analysis incident investigation for facilities that have had a prior accident.
• Enhancing facility planning and preparedness efforts to strengthen emergency response by ensuring chemical release information is timely shared with local responders and a community notification system is in place to warn the community of any impending release.
• Emphasizing the requirement for regulated facilities to evaluate risks of natural hazards and climate change, including any associated loss of power.
• Increasing transparency by providing access to RMP facility information for communities nearby.

The rule will be published alongside a query tool which will allow people to access information for RMPs in nearby communities. The agency intends to update the tool in the coming months to allow visualization of climate change hazards, a request of several stakeholders. This commitment aligns with a key goal of the National Climate Resilience Framework—to equip communities with the information and resources needed to assess their climate risks and develop the climate resilience solutions most appropriate for them.

Read more information on the rule visit EPA's Risk Management Program rule website.

For further information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

 

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