EPA has released its $7.2 billion fiscal year 2008 budget. The new budget emphasizes using more citizen-partners as it shifts into what the Agency is calling The Green Culture, the next phase of environmental progress.

Enforcement--The proposed 2008 spending plan includes $549.5 million for enforcement operations, the largest amount ever dedicated to that Agency responsibility. It is a $9.1 million increase over the fiscal year 2007 amount.

Water--The budget allocates spending to restore, improve, and protect four of the nation's most important water assets.

• Chesapeake Bay: An additional $2 million, for a total of $28.8 million, to build on the continuing efforts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, increase the pace of restoration, and implement the most cost-effective nutrient and sediment controls and key habitat restoration strategies.
• Puget Sound: An amount of $1 million to focus on the highest-priority environmental challenges such as improving water quality, lifting shellfish harvest restrictions, and cleaning up contaminated sediments.
• Gulf of Mexico: An amount of $4.5 million to assist the Gulf states and other stakeholders in developing a framework for restoring and protecting the Gulf. EPA is working with 12 other federal agencies and five states in the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to implement the 2004 U.S. Ocean Action Plan.
• Great Lakes: An amount of $56.8 million to continue working with states and local communities to reduce PCB concentration by 25 percent in predatory fish and keep monitored beaches open 95 percent of the time during the summer season.

The budget also requests an additional $687.5 million for clean water grants and $842.2 million for drinking water grants.

Air--The budget includes:

• EPA's climate change programs - $117.9 million
• Energy Star programs for the commercial, residential, and industrial sectors - $44 million
• The Asia Pacific Partnership to support international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - $5 million
• Methane to Markets to promote methane recovery and use at landfills, coal mines, and natural gas facilities - $4.4 million

The budget also includes $35 million for National Clean Diesel Campaign grants to help meet the mandates of the Energy Act and promote more energy efficient technologies. The $35 million is estimated to leverage an additional $72 million in funding assistance and reduce particulate matter by approximately 5,040 tons, which will achieve $1.4 billion in health benefits.

Scientific Research--The budget includes:

• Clean Air and related research - $123.8 million
• Nanotechnology research - $10.2 million

Superfund/Brownfields--The budget requests a total of $1.245 million for Superfund (including a $3.2 million increase over FY 2007 Request for the Superfund Remedial program) and $162.2 million for the Brownfields program.

For more information on the president's FY 2008 budget request for EPA, see http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/budget/index.htm.

To read about OSHA's FY 2008 budget, see http://safety.blr.com/display.cfm/id/102733.