Budget

A House Republican lawmaker is preparing to push legislation that would boost the White House budget office's use of a controversial evaluation tool that the Bush administration is citing to justify cutting $22 million from EPA's fiscal year 2005 research budget.

Soaring federal budget deficits may help environmentalists and their congressional allies curtail new subsidies for industry and funding for environmentally harmful construction projects, as concern about the expense and environmental danger of these programs appears to have gained traction following bipartisan efforts to stall the energy bill, according to environmentalists and balanced-budget advocates.

A new report by EPA's inspector general (IG) says insufficient funding for the Superfund program in fiscal year 2003 constrained investigations of waste sites and prevented the agency from performing necessary emergency removal actions.

However, EPA and industry sources are challenging the report's methodology and say funding was adequate to take protective actions at sites.

The likely Senate approval of comprehensive fiscal year 2004 spending legislation as soon as this week would preserve hundreds of millions of dollars in increased spending for EPA's operating programs that would otherwise be lost, according to both congressional and agency sources.

While the Senate failed to pass the measure Jan. 20, Capitol Hill sources say Senate passage now appears increasingly likely amid waning Democratic interest in blocking the measure. The House passed the legislation last year and President Bush has indicated he will sign the bill.