The President has just sent his proposal for the 2013 Budget to Congress. The US Government fiscal year begins on October 1st and with 2012 being an election year there is a good chance that the Budget will be approved by Congress before the end of the summer. Two reasons for GallonDaily’s Canadian readers to be interested in the US Budget:
- to compare and contrast with the Canadian government’s budget; and
- to get early notice of potential business opportunities in US environmental projects.
Some of the highlights of the President’s Budget proposal for the Environmental Protection Agency include:
- only a 1.2% decrease in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, with the decrease coming from revolving funds for state water projects and from Superfund
- increased support to States for air and water quality programs delegated from the federal government
- funding to establish electronic reporting for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and for increasing the number and frequency of inspections at high risk oil and chemical facilities.
- funding to stimulate economic growth in local communities with abandoned industrial properties by integrating sustainable development with environmental remediation activities for the restoration of these areas.
- continued efforts to restore significant ecosystems such as the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, California Bay-Delta, Everglades, and the Gulf Coast, helping to promote their ecological sustainability and resilience.
In addition, the President included in his announcement a call for Congress to enact greenhouse gas legislation. The Administration continues to support greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the U.S. in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050.
Under the heading Investing in Our Future the President sets the following Budget goals:
- Double the share of electricity from clean energy sources by 2035.
- Put one million advanced technology vehicles on the road by 2015.
- Save manufacturers money by improving energy efficiency.
- Reduce buildings’ energy use by 20 percent by 2020.
- Pursue responsible oil and gas production.
Full details are available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Overview