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PR PRESIDENT CLINTON’S FY 1999 BUDGET FOR EPA: PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Release Date: 02/02/98
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Underscoring the Clinton Administration’s continued commitment to protect public health and the environment within a balanced budget, EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner today announced President Clinton’s proposed record environmental budget of $7.8 billion for fiscal year 1999. The FY99 budget request is up six percent from the FY98 enacted level
of $7.4 billion.
“This budget clearly demonstrates this Administration’s abiding commitment to protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the land on which we live,” Browner said. “It is based on a simple premise -- that protecting the environment and protecting public health are good for the economy.”

The President’s FY 99 environmental budget provides funding for key Administration priorities, including curbing the pollution that causes global warming, completing the clean up of America’s waterways, implementing tough new clean air standards, and protecting children from environmental health threats. The FY 99 budget also provides resources for ongoing Administration commitments, including providing more information to the public through Right to Know programs, continued clean up of the nation’s worst toxic waste sites, and important funding to clean up and redevelop urban “Brownfields.”

The President’s 1999 budget for EPA includes:

•$145 million in new funding to implement the Vice President’s Clean Water Action Plan to speed the restoration of our precious waterways by protecting and restoring critical watersheds, preventing polluted run off and fostering watershed partnerships.

•an increase of $116 million and 72 additional staff to work with industries and other organizations to find sensible, cost-effective ways to curb the pollution that causes global warming.

•$75 million to implement EPA’s new, stronger clean air standards.

•an $8 million increase to protect the health of children by further implementing the Children’s Health Agenda to ensure that EPA’s regulations address the unique vulnerability of children to environmental threats.

•a $19 million increase to further improve public access and strengthen citizens’ right-to-know about pollution in their communities and enhance public access to the Agency’s new Center for Environmental Statistics in FY99. This funding will also assist tribes in implementing their Emergency Planning and community right-to-know activities.

•$35 million to support the new state-of-the art science and research facility at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina and 50 new scientists and engineers to continue to build within EPA the world’s best program for science and research.

Funding for ongoing commitments includes:

•$2.1 billion for Superfund to speed up toxic waste cleanup, including $91 million

for urban “brownfields” redevelopment.

•$1.85 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs that provide financial assistance for the construction of drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities.

For more information, electronic copies of the budget material are available through EPA's web site on the Internet at: https://www.epa.gov/ocfopage .

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