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E&C Dems Release State-by-State Impact of Trump’s EPA Budget Cuts

May 26, 2017

“The Trump budget decimates EPA funding at a time when state and local environmental agencies rely heavily on federal assistance.”

The Democratic staff of the Energy and Commerce Committee today released state-by-state analysis of the impacts President Trump's Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget would have on all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The Trump budget proposal would cut EPA's budget by nearly $2.6 billion – an overall cut of 31 percent – and reduces the EPA workforce by more than 3,800 employees. Included in the budget are extreme cuts to key public health and environmental programs, such as grants and programs for state and local air quality, diesel emission reductions and lead safety. The state-by-state fact sheets examine the potential negative impacts of the proposed extreme EPA budget cuts on every state.

The Trump Budget Guts State Environmental Agency Funding

The Trump budget decimates EPA funding at a time when state and local environmental agencies rely heavily on federal assistance. For example, a recent survey by the National Association of Clean Air Agencies found that cuts of this magnitude would significantly reduce the benefits that state environmental agencies are able to provide.

  • State and local environmental programs are already underfunded, and the proposed cuts in EPA grants would paralyze these agencies and their ability to ensure a safe environment for their state.
  • According to a report by the Center for American Progress, more than half of all state environmental agencies receive at least 25 percent of their funding from federal sources.
  • The Trump budget cuts state, local, and tribal air quality management grants by 30 percent, limiting states' and tribes' ability to develop and implement core environmental programs that protect the health of people in every state.

The Trump Budget Threatens Human Health in Every State

These extreme budget cuts also threaten to undermine public health at a time when many communities are exposed to unhealthy air.

  • According to the American Lung Association, more than 125 million people in the United States live in counties that have unhealthy levels of either particle pollution or ozone.
  • Millions of Americans with asthma, other chronic lung disease, cardiovascular diseases, or diabetes, are at greater risk from airborne pollution.
  • By cutting EPA's budget for air programs, state and tribal air quality, and enforcement, the Trump budget would jeopardize public health, putting vulnerable communities at greater risk of exposure to this dangerous air pollution.

A copy of the state-by-state report is available here.

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