U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations: FY2023 President’s Budget Request

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations: FY2023 President’s Budget Request

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August 24, 2022
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations:
FY2023 President’s Budget Request
Since FY2006, Congress has funded the U.S.
funding for a program or activity for which the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Interior,
authorization of appropriations has expired if no Member
Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bills.
raises a point of order or if the rules are waived for
For FY2023, the President requested $11.88 billion for
consideration of a bill.
EPA. The request was $2.32 billion (24.3%) greater than
the $9.56 billion FY2022 regular enacted appropriations for
History of EPA Budget Authority
EPA provided in Division G, Title II of the Consolidated
Figure 2 presents EPA discretionary budget authority since
Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103). Division J, Title
FY1976 in nominal dollars and adjusted for inflation.
VI of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L.
EPA’s budget authority is provided through annual
117-58), enacted on November, 15, 2021, provided an
appropriations and constitutes the amount of funding
additional $14.06 billion for EPA in emergency
available to the agency for obligation in a fiscal year to
supplemental appropriations for FY2022. Division VI of
carry out a specific purpose authorized in law. The trend in
P.L. 117-169 (commonly known as the Inflation Reduction
nominal dollars presented in Figure 2 is based on a history
Act of 2022), enacted on August 16, 2022, provided an
of agency budget authority prepared by the White House
additional $41.47 billion for EPA in permanent
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Congress has
appropriations for FY2022 (see CRS Insight IN11987,
funded EPA since the agency’s creation in 1970, but OMB
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022: U.S. Environmental
histories do not include fiscal years prior to FY1976.
Protection Agency and Selected Other Environmental
Provisions, for more information).
Figure 2. EPA Discretionary Budget Authority,
FY1976-FY2022 Enacted and FY2023 Request
The FY2023 request was $647.56 million more than the
FY2022 request of $11.23 billion for EPA. Trends in
requested and enacted appropriations for EPA since
FY2014 are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. EPA Requested and Enacted Discretionary
Appropriations, FY2014-FY2023

Source: CRS, based on the White House Office of Management and
Budget (OMB), Budget of the United States Government Fiscal Year
2023, Historical Tables, Table 5.4. CRS adjusted for inflation using
OMB deflators presented in Table 10.1. Enacted amounts reflect

regular annual and supplemental appropriations, including
Source: CRS, using information from the Congressional Record;
supplemental appropriations in P.L. 111-5, FY2022 supplemental
House, Senate, and conference reports; and EPA’s FY2023
appropriations in P.L. 117-58, and other supplemental funding.
Congressional Budget Justification. Enacted amounts include rescissions

and supplemental appropriations. P.L. 117-169 provided an additional
EPA Appropriations Accounts
$41.47 bil ion in permanent appropriations to EPA for FY2022.

Funding for discretionary spending is annually appropriated
Authorization of Appropriations
to EPA among 10 statutory accounts established by
Congress over time. These include State and Tribal
The statutory authorization of appropriations for many of
Assistance Grants (STAG), Environmental Programs and
the programs and activities administered by EPA has
Management (EPM), Hazardous Substance Superfund
expired, but Congress has continued to fund them through
(“Superfund”), Science and Technology (S&T), Leaking
the appropriations process. Congress may appropriate
Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program, Buildings
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations: FY2023 President’s Budget Request
and Facilities, Office of Inspector General, Inland Oil Spill
The FY2023 request is similar to FY2022 regular enacted
Program, Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System
amounts for several of EPA’s larger program areas. This
Fund, and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
includes $1.64 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving
Program accounts.
Fund (SRF) and $1.13 billion for the Drinking Water SRF,
both funded within the STAG account. The FY2023 request
As indicated in Figure 3, the proportional distribution of
also proposes $578.64 million for additional water quality
funding among these accounts has remained similar for
geographic programs within the EPM account.
more than a decade, except for FY2022, which includes
IIJA supplemental appropriations. The STAG and EPM
The FY2023 request proposed funding increases for some
accounts have received the largest share of funding,
additional program areas above FY2022 enacted levels. For
followed by the Superfund and S&T accounts. The STAG
example, the FY2023 request proposed $294.94 million
account funds grants for water infrastructure, brownfields
within the EPM account for environmental justice
site assessment and remediation, diesel emissions reduction,
programs, a $200.78 million (213.2%) increase compared to
targeted airsheds, and “categorical” grants to delegated
FY2022 enacted appropriations of $94.16 million. The
states and tribes for implementing environmental statutes.
request and EPA’s FY2023 Congressional Budget
The EPM account funds additional grants and many cross-
Justification list this funding in a new national program
cutting agency activities. The Superfund account supports
area within the EPM account, “Environmental Justice” that
the environmental remediation of sites prioritized for
would support grant programs, technical assistance, and
federal attention. The S&T account funds research that
public outreach, among other activities. The request also
supports agency regulatory decisions.
proposed $5.88 million in environmental justice funding
within the Superfund account.
Figure 3. EPA Discretionary Appropriations by
Account: FY2014-FY2022 Enacted and FY2023
The FY2023 request also proposed funding increases,
Requested
compared to FY2022 enacted levels, for categorical grants
within EPA’s STAG account for sewer overflow and
stormwater reuse grants; reducing lead in drinking water;
and diesel emissions reduction grants.
EPA Staff Levels
The President’s FY2023 request proposed 16,204 full-time-
equivalent staff (FTEs) for EPA to administer federal
environmental statutes in coordination with delegated states
and tribes. This is a proposed increase of 880 FTEs over
FY2022 estimated levels, which would raise agency
staffing to the highest level since the ceiling of 17,055
FTEs in FY2012. Figure 4 presents FTEs as reported by
EPA for FY2014-FY2023.

Figure 4. EPA-Reported Full-Time Equivalent Ceiling,
Source: CRS, using information from the Congressional Record;
FY2014-FY2021 Enacted, FY2022 ACR, and FY2023
House, Senate, and conference committee reports; and EPA’s FY2023
Requested
Congressional Budget Justification. P.L. 117-169 provided an additional
$41.47 bil ion in permanent appropriations to EPA for FY2022.

The President’s FY2023 request proposed funding increases
for eight of EPA’s appropriations accounts and a decrease
for one account, compared to FY2022 regular enacted
appropriations. For examples of the larger accounts, the
FY2023 request includes $5.73 billion for the STAG
account (a $1.38 billion, or 31.7%, increase compared to
FY2022 regular enacted appropriations) and $3.80 billion
for the EPM account (a $832.26 million, or 28.1%, increase
compared to FY2022 regular enacted appropriations).
The request also proposed $1.15 billion for the Superfund
account, a $78.68 million (6.4%) overall decrease compared

to FY2022 regular enacted appropriations. The request for
Source: CRS using information from EPA’s FY2023 Budget in Brief.
Superfund remedial actions within this account would be a
Notes: ACR= Annualized Continuing Resolution. FY2022 FTEs based
larger decrease, from the FY2022 regular enacted amount
on annualized amount and excludes IIJA staffing.
of $594.75 million to $454.60 million. In its FY2023
Congressional Budget Justification, EPA noted the $3.5
Angela C. Jones, Analyst in Environmental Policy
billion provided for Superfund remedial actions in IIJA and
the availability of Superfund chemical tax receipts collected
IF12199
in FY2022 as the reason for the requested decrease.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Appropriations: FY2023 President’s Budget Request

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