Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
july 2014
The Monthly Review is part of a continuing effort to improve communications about the role of geoscience in policy.
Current and archived monthly reviews are available online.Subscribe to receive the Monthly Review directly.
budget
House appropriations bill funding EPA and USGS passes subcommittee
July 9, 2014
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies held a markup on July 9 on the fiscal year (FY) 2015 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill. The bill proposes a top-line appropriation of $30.22 billion with $1.036 billion allocated to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which is $4 million above the FY 2014 enacted levels but $37 million below the President’s request. Though USGS was not mentioned during the markup, the press release accompanying the draft bill states that “the bill prioritizes funding for programs dealing with natural hazards, stream gages, the groundwater monitoring network, mapping activities, and the earthquake early warning system.”
The bill would fund the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at $7.5 billion, a 9 percent cut from FY 2014. The EPA would be limited to a staff of 15,000, the lowest level since 1989. Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) explained the EPA cuts saying, “Congress must exercise its prerogative to prevent this kind of bureaucratic overreach” that he believes is hurting the economy. Rep. Rogers also framed EPA cuts as a punishment for the agency’s unresponsiveness to congressional inquiries.
Democrats found the funding levels in this bill to be insufficient for protecting natural resources and public health. Committee Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) stated, “Of the eleven FY 15 bills that have been released this is perhaps the worst.” Rep. Lowey, together with Democrats on the subcommittee opposed the many legislative riders in the bill, calling them “an industry wish list of giveaways.” The riders include provisions stopping the proposed changes to EPA emissions rules for power plants and preventing changes to the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.
Democratic members explained they would hold off on proposing amendments until the full committee markup. The bill passed the subcommittee on a party line voice vote.
Sources: E&E News, House Committee on Appropriations
House passes FY 2015 Energy and Water Appropriations bill
July 10, 2014
The House passed their fiscal year (FY) 2015 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill (H.R. 4923), on July 10 by a vote of 253-170. This $34 billion bill funds the Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including $593 million for fossil fuel energy development, $1.8 billion for renewable energy, and $5.1 billion for basic science research under the DOE’s Office of Science. The bill also includes $150 million for the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository.
Many amendments to the bill were offered leading up to the vote. Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) offered an amendment to shift money from the National Nuclear Security Administration to the DOE Office of Science to meet the Administration’s funding request for research. Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID) opposed this amendment explaining that “[shifting] funding between defense and nondefense allocations would have negative repercussions on every appropriations bill by exceeding the Ryan-Murray budget caps that trigger sequestration.” Rep. Foster withdrew his amendment.
Amendments that passed on the floor included funding prohibitions for programs such as the Obama Administration’s climate change agenda and activities related to the “social cost of carbon.”
President Obama has threatened to veto the House bill due to Yucca Mountain provisions, "objectionable environmental riders,” and cuts to renewable energy programs. The Senate is not expected to consider their version of the FY 2015 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill.
Sources: AIP, E&E News, House Appropriations Committee
House committee passes Interior, Environment Appropriations Bill
July 15, 2014
The House Appropriations Committee passed the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for fiscal year (FY) 2015 on July 15. The $30.2 billion bill would fund the Department of the Interior and appropriates $1.035 billion for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), $3.7 million more than the FY 2014 enacted level but $37.6 million less than the President’s request.
All USGS mission areas are funded at or above FY 2014 enacted levels except for Core Science Systems which received roughly $3 million in cuts. The committee report on the bill includes $92 million for Energy, Minerals, and Environmental Health; Mineral Resources Program funding is unchanged from the FY 2014 enacted level. The report allocates $209 million to the USGS Water Resources directorate, $2 million more than last year’s appropriation. Climate and Land Use Change is funded at $133 million, a $1 million increase over FY 2014; the committee report includes increases to drought impacts and adaptive management within the mission area.
The Natural Hazards mission area is allocated $133 million, roughly $5 million more than FY 2014, with no change to the funding levels for Landslide Hazards programs from FY 2014. The bill provides $5 million in additional funds for an earthquake early warning system and supports the request for increased funding for induced seismicity research. The committee is concerned about earthquake risks from the Cascadia subduction zone and suggests USGS request funding in the future for offshore data collection.
The bill also appropriates money for the Bureau of Land Management (1.2% decrease from FY 2014), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (5.7% increase from FY 2014), the Environmental Protection Agency (8.7% decrease from FY 2014), the National Parks Service (0.1% increase from FY 2014), the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (0.7 percent decrease from FY 2014), and the Smithsonian Institution (1.0% increase from FY 2014), among other agencies.
The full House takes up consideration of the bill next. Congress goes on recess for the month of August so the bill is unlikely to be considered in the next month.
Sources: House Appropriations Committee