Order Code RS22064
Updated June 24, 2005
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Environmental Protection Agency:
FY2006 Appropriations Highlights
David Bearden and Robert Esworthy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
As passed by the House, the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
appropriations bill for FY2006 (H.R. 2361, H.Rept. 109-80) would provide $7.71 billion
for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), plus $100 million in unobligated funds
“rescinded” from past appropriations. The Senate Appropriations Committee
recommended $7.88 billion for EPA in reporting its version of the bill (S.Rept. 109-80),
plus $58 million in similarly rescinded funds. Both amounts are more than the request
of $7.52 billion, but are less than the FY2005 appropriation of $8.03 billion.1 Among
individual programs, both versions of H.R. 2361 reflect decreases and increases
throughout the various EPA appropriations accounts when compared to the President’s
FY2006 request and the FY2005 funding levels.
Considerable debate has focused on funding for the State and Tribal Assistance
Grants (STAG) account, particularly the adequacy of funding for assistance to states and
communities for State Revolving Funds (SRFs). These funds provide loans to
communities for water infrastructure, such as sewage treatment plants and projects needed
to meet drinking water standards. Including the use of rescinded funds noted above, the
House-passed bill would provide $850 million for the clean water SRF, and the Senate-
reported bill would provide a higher amount of $1.10 billion, primarily by reducing
funding for other activities. The Administration’s request would have reduced funding
for the clean water SRF from $1.09 billion in FY2005 to $730 million in FY2006. The
amount in both bills for the drinking water SRF is the same as requested, $850 million,
and is similar to the FY2005 appropriation.
Other prominent issues of debate include the adequacy of funding for the cleanup of
hazardous waste sites under the Superfund program, the cleanup and redevelopment of
certain commercial and industrial sites referred to as Brownfields, EPA’s homeland
security activities, and “congressional project priorities” or earmarks. The following
table displays H.R. 2361, the FY2006 request, and the appropriations for FY2004 and
FY2005 by the eight EPA appropriations accounts. (For a detailed discussion, see CRS
Report RL32856, Environmental Protection Agency: Appropriations for FY2006.)
1 The Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2005 (P.L. 108-447) provided $8.09 billion for
EPA, less an across-the-board rescission of 0.8%.
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

---

CRS-2
Environmental Protection Agency Appropriations Accounts:
FY2004-FY2005 Enacted, the FY2006 Request, Action on Appropriations
(in millions of dollars)
FY2004
FY2005
FY2006
House Passed
Senate Reported
Appropriations Account
Enacteda
Enacteda
Requesta
H.R. 2361
H.R. 2361
Science and Technology
$781.7
$744.1
$760.6
$765.3
$730.8
+ transfer from Superfund account
+ $44.4
+ $35.8
+ $30.6
+ $30.6
$30.6
Science and Technology Total
$826.1
$779.9
$791.2
$795.9
$761.4
Environmental Programs and Management
$2,280.1
$2,294.9
b $2,353.8
b $2,389.5
b $2,333.4
Office of Inspector General
$37.3
$37.7
$37.0
$38.0
$37.0
+ transfer from Superfund account
+ $13.2
+ $12.9
+ $13.5
+ $13.5
$13.5
Office of Inspector General Total
$50.5
$50.6
$50.5
$51.5
$50.5
Buildings & Facilities
$39.8
$41.7
$40.2
$40.2
$40.2
Hazardous Substance Superfund
$1,257.5
$1,247.5
$1,279.3
$1,258.3
$1,256.2
— transfer to Office of Inspector General
— $13.1
— $12.9
— $13.5
— $13.5
$13.5
— transfer to Science and Technology
— $44.4
— $35.8
— $30.6
— $30.6
$30.6
Hazardous Substance Superfund (Net)
$1,200.0
$1,198.8
$1,235.2
$1,214.2
$1,212.1
Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program
$75.6
$69.4
$73.0
$73.0
$73.0
Oil Spill Response
$16.1
$15.9
$15.9
$15.9
$15.9
Pesticide Registration Fund
—
$19.2
$15.0
$15.0
$15.0
— Pesticide Registration Fees
—
— $19.2
— $15.0
— $15.0
$15.0
State and Tribal Assistance Grants: Total
$3,877.8
$3,575.3
$2,960.8
$3,127.8
$3,395.5
Clean Water State Revolving Funds
$1,342.0
$1,091.2
$730.0
c $850.0
$1,100.0
Drinking Water State Revolving Funds
$845.0
$843.2
$850.0
$850.0
$850.0
Other Grants
$1,690.8
$1,640.9
$1,380.8
$1,527.8
$1,445.5
Funds Previously Appropriated to EPA
—
—
—
c — $100.0
c — $58.0
Total EPA Accounts
$8,366.0
$8,026.5
$7,520.6
$7,708.0
$7,882.0
Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on amounts from the House and Senate Appropriations
Committees and sources noted below. Numbers may not add due to rounding.
a
Enacted amounts for FY2004 are from House Appropriations Committee report (H.R. 5041, H.Rept. 108-674) on the prior
year appropriations bill, and reflect an across-the-board rescission. Enacted amounts for FY2005 and the FY2006 request
are from the House Appropriations Committee (H.R. 2361, H.Rept. 109-80). The Consolidated Appropriations Act for
FY2005 (P.L.108-447) included an across-the-board rescission of 0.8%. The FY2005 total includes a supplemental
emergency appropriation of $3.0 million provided in P.L. 108-324.
b
The President’s FY2006 budget includes $50 million in offsetting receipts to be derived from proposed legislative changes
to Toxics and Pesticides fees, which have not been enacted (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FY2006 Justification
of Appropriation Estimates for the Committee on Appropriations (EPA-205/R-05-001)). Neither the House-passed or
Senate-reported versions of H.R. 2361 included the $50 million offset.
c
The total for the STAG account includes $58.0 million per the Senate Appropriations Committee, and $100.0 million per
the House Appropriations Committee, to be rescinded from previously appropriated EPA funds that were not obligated
to expired contracts, grants, and inter-agency agreements.

---