Lisa Jackson Defends FY 2011 Budget At EP&W Committee

Statement of Lisa P. Jackson Administrator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Legislative Hearing on EPA’s 2011 Budget Proposal Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Chairman Boxer convened the Full Committee to examine President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

FULL STATEMENT

Excerpts:

The $10 billion proposed for EPA in the FY 2011 President’s budget will support key priorities during this time of fiscal challenges. These themes are: taking action on climate change; improving air quality; assuring the safety of chemicals; cleaning up our communities; protecting America’s waters; expanding the conversation on environmentalism and working for environmental justice; building strong state and tribal partnerships; and maintaining a strong science foundation.

The budget includes a requested increase of more than $43 million for additional regulatory efforts aimed at taking action on climate change. It includes $25 million for state grants focused on developing technical capacity to address greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. It also includes $13.5 million in funding for implementing new emission standards that will reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from mobile sources such as passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles, developing potential standards for large transportation sources such as locomotives and aircraft engines, and analyzing the potential need for standards under petitions relating to major stationary sources – all through means that are flexible and manageable for business.

A request of $21 million will support continued implementation of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule to ensure the collection of high quality data. This budget also requests an additional $3.1 million to promote work on current and future carbon capture and sequestration projects.