Crs Report for Congress - Environmental Protection Issues in the 108th Congress: May 8, 2003 - Ib10115 (Paperback)

Environmental issues in the 108th Congress may reflect shifted priorities as a result of the new Senate leadership and changes in committee chairmanships in both chambers of the Congress. Nevertheless, a substantial portion of the environmental agenda in the 108th Congress will likely derive from initiatives or issues that received some attention in the 107th Congress, but were not enacted. This issue brief provides an overview of some of the key environmental protection issues that have been and are likely to continue to be the focus of public and congressional attention. The individual sections below, on specific issues, reference more detailed CRS reports. The initial focus of the108th Congress was on finalizing FY2003 funding not c o m p l e t e d by the 107th Congress. Appropriations for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were among those unresolved, and a number of controversial environmental amendments were under debate as Congress considered a consolidated appropriations act, H.J.Res. 2 (P.L. 108-7). As approved, it included $8.0 billion for EPA for FY2003. Budgetary attention next turns to the FY2004 appropriations, for which the request for EPA is $7.6 billion, or 5% less than approved for FY2003. A proposed reduction in wastewater infrastructure ...