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**EPA Administrator Michael Regan, right, greets Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Or.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.) after a Senate Appropriations Commitee meeting May 1. (Stefan Modrich / 3E).
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Summary
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials view the Biden Administration’s funding requests of $11 billion for the 2025 fiscal year as an opportunity to rebuild the agency after a fallow period for regulatory activity during the Trump Administration.
The agency plans to hire 2,000 new full-time employees as and provide updated guidance and data on several of its priorities as designated by its strategic roadmap for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) EPA Administrator Michael Regan said during a 1 May 2024 meeting of the Senate Appropriations’ Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. EPA also intends to ramp up efforts to recycle textiles and reduce methane emissions, Regan said during his two days of testimony in front of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committees.
“We’re focused on making up lost ground for TSCA,” Regan said. “A significant portion of what we’re asking for are permanent employees, folks who can focus on some of the bread and butter issues at EPA. These resources that we’ve requested will help us ensure we are doing our jobs adequately.”
Bipartisan members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees expressed their support for the agency and many of its initiatives, while also raising concerns about the prospect of a one-size-fits-all regulatory approach in some of the more isolated and geographically diverse parts of the United States.
“If you are willing to work with my staff and willing to move this forward find that sweet spot in a way that ensures both climate stability and ensures energy stability, it would be a big win for everybody,” Sen. Jon Tester, (D-Mont.) told EPA Administrator Michael Regan during a 1 May 2024 meeting of the Senate Appropriations’ Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Tester had urged Regan to reconsider EPA’s mercury and air toxics standards (MATS) because of the negative economic consequences of the potential early closure of the Colstrip Power Plant in Montana.
Regan fielded questions April 30-1 May 2024 from lawmakers in both chambers on a wide-range of issues, from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and water quality to biofuels and clean-up efforts in the aftermath of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, as members sought commitments from the agency on behalf of their constituents.
Review
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Me), Ranking Member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, asked Regan 30 April 2024 about the EPA’s responsibility to regulate the emerging fast fashion industry, which contains textiles that are made of less sustainable material.
Regan said the agency plans to release new data about textile waste and recycling later this year.
“In our budget we are making requests to focus on these new, emerging waste issues,” Regan said. “We’re coming at climate change from so many different angles, but we are focused on reducing that textile waste.”
Analysis
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mi.) asked Regan about unregulated PFAS and the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5), which was published on 27 December 2021.
“We are monitoring drinking water in communities all across the country,” Regan said. “We’re testing significantly more water systems than ever before and using advanced methods to detect these pervasive chemicals.”
UCMR 5 requires sample collection for 30 chemical contaminants between 2023 and 2025 using analytical methods developed by the EPA and consensus organizations, EPA Press Secretary Remmington Belford told 3E.
Consistent with the EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap, UCMR 5 will provide new data that will improve the agency’s understanding of the frequency that 29 types of PFAS and lithium are found in the nation’s drinking water systems, and at what levels.
The monitoring data on PFAS and lithium will help the EPA make determinations about future regulations and other actions to protect public health under the Safe Drinking Water Act, (SDWA) and to help communities facing disproportionate impacts of unsafe drinking water to find more targeted solutions, Belford told 3E.
“The EPA implements critical solutions for pollution that make our water safer to drink and our air cleaner to breathe for children and families across the country,” Environmental Defense Fund associate vice president for political affairs Joanna Slaney told 3E. “Robust funding for EPA in FY25 is essential for this vital work to continue. President Biden’s FY25 budget proposal for EPA makes clear his commitment to protecting health and reducing risks like childhood asthma. Congress should meet that request.”
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About the author: Stefan Modrich is a Washington, D.C.-based reporter for 3E. He covers the latest developments in environmental health and safety policy and regulation. Modrich previously wrote for S&P Global Market Intelligence, The Arizona Republic, and Chicago Tribune. He is an alumnus of Arizona State University and the University of Zagreb.
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