50 PROGRAMS SCRAPPED AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Bayfront Park in Menlo Park is home to the South Bay Salt Pond restoration project, which is to convert 15,100 acres of salt ponds to tidal wetlands and other habitats. Michael Macor / The Chronicle
President Trump proposes a $54 billion increase in military spending, offset by slashing domestic programs. The Environmental Protection Agency would take the biggest hit, a 31 percent cut that would eliminate a quarter of the staff and save $2.6 billion, returning the agency’s budget to 1970s-era levels. Congress dictates spending, however, and some cuts face bipartisan pushback. The agency has begun offering buyouts to workers.
Here is a sample of programs that would be eliminated:
Wetlands restoration for San Francisco Bay, the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound and South Florida. (saving $427 million)
Science to Achieve Results grants for university research on environmental problems. ($10.6 million)
Climate Protection Program, including the voluntary Energy Star efficiency label for appliances. ($70 million)
Climate change research conducted in coordination with the U.S. Global Change Research program. ($19.4 million)
Marine Pollution Program, which prevents dumping of harmful material into the ocean. ($4.2 million)
National Estuary Program, which helps Morro Bay and San Francisco Bay address declines in ecosystem health. ($20.5 million)
Water Sense Program, a voluntary labeling program for products such as shower heads and toilets that conserve water. ($3 million)
Non-Point Source Pollution grants to address farm runoff. ($165 million)
Underground Storage Tank grants. EPA says 561,000 of these tanks store petroleum or other hazardous substances, posing their biggest threat to contamination of drinking water. ($1.5 million)
Endocrine Disruptor Program, which screens and tests chemicals that harm wildlife and disrupt children’s growth. ($6 million)
Does not eliminate but slashes by 80 percent, or $542 million, the agency’s Science Advisory Board “to reflect an anticipated lower number of peer reviews.”
Online resources: Read more at http://bit.ly/2oDjijc
Climate science at other agencies
Trump’s budget request would terminate four key Earth science missions at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration:
PACE, an ocean monitoring program.
Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3, a satellite under development to study distribution of carbon dioxide on Earth.
The Deep Space Climate Observatory
The CLARREO Pathfinder that measures heat in the atmosphere.
Note: Trump’s plan would also zero out $250 million in programs at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration that support coastal and marine management and research, including the Sea Grants program.
