By Greentech Lead Team: Budget from President Obama will
provide funding for sustainable fisheries and shift some of the $4 billion a
year in subsidies for oil and gas companies to invest in clean technology in
Fiscal Year 2013.
EDF lamented the fact that the president’s budget
proposes cutting funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by $105 million
and Farm Bill conservation programs by about $600 million in FY 2013.
“Despite some flaws, the president’s budget is a big
net plus for the environment, and we urge Congress to
embrace the positive aspects of it,” said Elgie Holstein,
senior director for strategic planning at Environmental Defense Fund Environmental Defense Fund.
Good news:
* $27.2 billion for the Department of Energy, a 3.2 percent
increase over what Congress enacted last year:
* $2.3 billion would go towards research and development
for energy efficiency, advanced vehicles and biofuels.
* $522 million increase in renewable energy sources and an
additional $174 million for a revamped industrial technology-advanced
manufacturing program.
* $12 million would go towards multi-year research
investments in safer natural gas infrastructure in order to reduce risks
associated with hydraulic fracturing in shale formations.
* Pipeline safety would receive a 70 percent, or $64
million, increase.
* Approximately $1 billion for energy conservation efforts
in the Department of Defense (DOD), which is the world’s largest energy consumer.
* DOD is increasing its commitment to renewable energy,
which now makes up 8.5 percent of its energy production and procurement.
* $174 million for sustainable fisheries work by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which supports the science and
management needed to support the commercial fishing industry that supports 1
million jobs and yields more than $32 billion in income every year.
* $28 million for the National Catch Share Program, a
critical part of the nation’s strategy to return its fisheries to abundance,
the same level adopted by the Congress last year.
Bad news:
* Counterproductive cuts to the Environmental Protection
Agency
* The fiscal 2013 budget seeks $8.3 billion, which is $105
million below the current funding level for the agency.
* If Congress approves the proposal, it would be the first
time since 1994 that the agency’s budget was cut for three consecutive years.
* Counterproductive cuts to USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service
* The fiscal 2013 budget seeks to cut funding for Farm Bill
conservation programs by about $600 million.
* Congress already has cut conservation funding by $2.8
billion over the last five years (FY 2008-2012), representing 81 percent of the
nearly $3.5 billion in Farm Bill spending cuts during that time period.