Obama Seeks Third Annual Cut in EPA’s Budget by Trimming Grants

President Barack Obama proposed cutting the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget for the third straight year by trimming funding for water grants to U.S. states and Superfund clean-up programs.

The fiscal 2013 budget seeks $8.3 billion, which is $105 million below the current funding level for the agency, according to White House documents released today. If Congress approves the proposal, it would be the first time since 1994 that the agency’s budget was cut for three consecutive years.

After EPA funding reached a record $11 billion in 2010, Obama’s budget, for the year starting Oct. 1, would still leave agency spending higher than during any previous administration, according to figures included in the budget documents.

The budget calls for $33 million in cuts to pay for the clean-up of sites with hazardous materials under the Superfund program. And it cuts the amount available for grants to states for wastewater or drinking water projects to $1.2 billion from $1.5 billion.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Drajem in Washington at mdrajem@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at Jmorgan97@bloomberg.net