Please fund the EPA to pre-Trump levels again so we can save our planet!

I’m writing to strongly support President Biden’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Budget Request of $11.9 billion to fund the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  This funding would help reverse years of sweeping cuts that resulted in skeletal programs and staffing levels that have made it extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, for the EPA to fulfill its mission to protect public health and safety. This funding would also support the agency’s current work at offices like the Office of Air and Radiation and the Office of Water in reviews of current clean air regulations and focus on environmental justice and communities that have been especially impacted by dirty air and water.  The EPA needs robust staffing and full funding to protect public health and safety. But the EPA remains at its lowest staffing levels since the 1980s. A long history of “level” funding has resulted in years of annual budgets not adjusted for inflation. In 1980, the EPA budget, adjusted for inflation, was twice its current levels and in 2004 the EPA budget was 45 percent higher than it is today. Inadequate resources have forced the EPA to cut back on enforcement activities, letting egregious polluters off the hook and leaving nearby communities – usually marginalized communities of color – unprotected. Full funding for the President’s EPA budget provides an opportunity to enforce environmental regulations and ensure progress towards environmental justice by cleaning up decades of legacy pollution and strengthening improving clean air and water regulations. Supporting these critical programs will better protect American families and guarantee the EPA has the resources needed to continue its mission and respond to the climate crisis. Restoring communities and protecting public health requires innovative solutions for climate action and economic recovery, and a fully funded EPA with dedicated personnel is essential to delivering these solutions. I urge you to work to improve health outcomes of all Americans, provide resources to ensure clean air and water for all communities, and work toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions nationwide by 2050. Thanks.