Bill Penny
Bill Penny

Bill Penny is in the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison and is a member of the firm's Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Service Group. He has more than 25 years experience in environmental law. He may be contacted at william.penny@stites.com.

Bill Penny
Christina Davidow

Christina Bodewig Davidow is an Associate in the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison and a LEED Accredited Professional. She is a member of both the Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Service Group as well as the Green Industry Practice Group. She may be contacted at christina.davidow@stites.com.

epa

Proposed Budget for the EPA's Seven Key Themes

02.01.10 4:14 PM
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Earlier today, the Obama Administration proposed a budget of $10 billion for the EPA. According to the EPA’s press release, “[t]his budget heeds the president’s call to streamline and find efficiencies in the agency’s operations while supporting the seven priority areas EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson outlined to guide EPA’s work.”

 The Budget, like Administrator Jackson's seven key themes, focused in on the following areas:
 
1) Cleaning up communities: This budget includes $1.3 billion to address Superfund sites; $215 million is provided to help Brownfields’ redevelopment;  $27 million for EPA’s new Healthy Communities Initiative that will address community water, green and healthy schools, air toxics monitoring in at-risk communities; and encourage sustainability.
 
2) Improving Air Quality: This budget includes $60 million to support state efforts to implement updated National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). EPA recently tightened NO2 standards and this budget will go, in part, toward helping states achieve these standards.
 
3) Building Strong State and Tribal Partnerships: This budget includes $1.3 billion for state and tribal grants.
 
4) Taking Action on Climate Change: This budget includes $43 million for miscellaneous efforts to address climate change.
 
5) Protecting America’s Waters: This budget includes $63 million for efforts to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and $17 million for the Mississippi River Basin. The budget contemplates investing $3.3 billion to “maintain and improve outdated water infrastructure and keep our wastewater and drinking water clean and safe.”
 
6) Assuring the Safety of Chemicals: Allots $56 million for chemical assessment and risk review in an effort to “ensure that no unreasonable risks are posed by new or existing chemicals.”
 
7) Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice: $8 million for programs dealing with environmental justice.
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