U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FY2024 Appropriations

April 4, 2024

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FY2024 Appropriations

Enacted on March 9, 2024, the Consolidated

Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-42) provided funding

for the Department of the Interior, Environment, and

Related Agencies, including funding for the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). P.L. 118-42

provided a total of $9.16 billion in appropriations for EPA,

including rescissions. Division J, Title VI, of the

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58),

enacted on November 15, 2021, provided an additional

$11.61 billion for EPA in advance appropriations for

FY2024. Together, P.L. 118-42 and P.L. 117-58 provided a

total of $20.77 billion for EPA for FY2024.

EPA’s FY2024 regular annual appropriations of $9.16

billion, including rescissions, are $2.92 billion (24.2%) less

than the President’s FY2024 request for EPA of $12.08

billion and $977 million (9.6%) less than FY2023 regular

enacted appropriations of $10.14 billion. Total EPA

FY2024 enacted appropriations of $20.77 billion (including

IIJA advance appropriations) are $2.24 billion (9.7%) less

than total FY2023 enacted appropriations of $23.01 billion

(including supplemental appropriations and rescissions).

Trends in requested and enacted appropriations for EPA

since FY2015 are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 does not

include $41.46 billion in FY2022 mandatory appropriations

provided to EPA in P.L. 117-169, the measure known as the

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

From the beginning of FY2024 to the enactment of P.L.

118-42, EPA (and other federal departments and agencies)

operated under the terms and conditions of a series of four

continuing resolutions, generally at FY2023 regular enacted

levels.

Figure 1. EPA Requested and Enacted Discretionary

Appropriations, FY2015-FY2024

Source: CRS, using information from the Congressional Record;

House, Senate, and conference reports; and EPA’s Congressional

Budget Justifications from FY2015 through FY2024.

Notes: Enacted amounts reflect supplemental appropriations and

rescissions and do not include FY2022 IRA appropriations.

In recent years, Congress has provided appropriations to

EPA through a combination of regular annual

appropriations, supplemental appropriations in IIJA and the

budgetary measure known as the Inflation Reduction Act

(IRA; P.L. 117-169), and other supplemental

appropriations. Figure 2 shows the distribution of EPA

appropriations in recent years among these acts.

Figure 2. EPA Enacted Appropriations, FY2022FY2024

Source: CRS, using information from the Congressional Record;

House, Senate, and conference reports.

Notes: P.L. 117-328 provided $1.67 billion in supplemental

appropriations for EPA for FY2023. P.L. 117-169 provided $41.46

billion in mandatory appropriations for EPA for FY2022.

EPA Appropriations Accounts

Funding for discretionary spending is annually appropriated

to EPA among 10 statutory accounts established by

Congress over time. These include State and Tribal

Assistance Grants (STAG), Environmental Programs and

Management (EPM), Hazardous Substance Superfund

(“Superfund”), Science and Technology (S&T), Leaking

Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program, Buildings

and Facilities, Office of Inspector General, Inland Oil Spill

Program, Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest System

Fund, and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation

Program accounts.

As indicated in Figure 3, the proportional distribution of

funding among these accounts has remained similar for

more than a decade, prior to the enactment of IIJA

supplemental appropriations. Historically, the STAG and

EPM accounts have received the largest share of funding,

followed by the Superfund and S&T accounts. The STAG

account funds grants for water infrastructure, brownfields

site assessment and remediation, diesel emissions reduction,

targeted airsheds, and “categorical” grants to delegated

states and tribes for implementing pollution control

programs. The EPM account funds additional grants and

cross-cutting agency activities. The Superfund account

supports the environmental remediation of priority sites on

nonfederal lands designated for federal attention in

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FY2024 Appropriations

coordination with the states in which the sites are located.

The S&T account funds research that supports agency

regulatory decisions.

FY2024 total appropriations in P.L. 118-42 included

funding decreases in 9 of the 10 EPA appropriations

accounts compared with FY2023 total enacted

appropriations. See Figure 3 for trends in EPA enacted

discretionary appropriations by account in recent years.

Figure 3. EPA Enacted Discretionary Appropriations

by Account, FY2015-FY2024

Source: CRS, using information from the Congressional Record;

House, Senate, and conference committee reports. Enacted amounts

reflect rescissions and supplemental appropriations.

For example, total FY2024 appropriations are $15.64

billion for the STAG account, including rescissions and

$11.22 billion in IIJA advance appropriations. This is a

$1.33 billion (7.8%) decrease compared with FY2023 total

enacted appropriations of $16.97 billion for the STAG

account.

Total FY2024 appropriations are $3.56 billion for the EPM

account, including $387 million in IIJA advance

appropriations. This is a $108 million (3.0%) decrease

compared with FY2023 total enacted appropriations of

$3.67 billion for the EPM account. FY2024 appropriations

were $53 million for the Superfund account. This is a $745

million (58.1%) decrease compared with FY2023 enacted

appropriations of $1.28 billion for the Superfund account.

In its FY2024 Congressional Budget Justification, EPA

noted that this decrease is due to the $3.5 billion provided

in IIJA for Superfund and the availability of $2.5 billion in

expected Superfund excise tax receipts available to EPA in

FY2024.

Selected EPA Funding Issues

A variety of EPA funding issues have been the subject of

congressional debate during the annual appropriations

process. These issues are likely to continue to be of interest

in the 118th Congress.

Assistance to States and Other Entities

Congress appropriates funds to EPA to support the agency’s

primary responsibilities under multiple federal

environmental pollution control statutes in coordination

with states and tribes. The adequacy of funding for this

support is a perennial issue. EPA awards categorical grants

to states and tribes (and local governments under certain

statutes) with delegated authority to implement and enforce

federal pollution control requirements. Typically, Congress

allocates the largest categorical grant amounts for EPA

assistance to states and territories for two state revolving

funds for water infrastructure: the Clean Water State

Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving

Fund. For FY2024, Congress appropriated $2.76 billion

total for these funds, including $1.42 billion in Community

Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending. P.L.

118-42 also appropriated $1.11 billion for other categorical

grants within the STAG account. EPA also awards

competitive grants for a range of programs and purposes.

Air Quality and Climate Change

Issues related to air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions,

and climate change have been a topic of debate in

Congress. Recent appropriations acts have included funding

for EPA in these policy areas, such as for air and climate

research, developing and implementing regulations, and

financial and technical assistance to states, local

governments, and tribes. For FY2024, P.L. 118-42 provided

$534 million within the S&T and EPM accounts for clean

air and climate-related programs, a $23 million (4.2%)

decrease compared with FY2023 appropriations of $557

million. This funding supports programs for climate change

research and adaptation, air monitoring networks, federal

support for air quality management, renewable fuel

standards, greenhouse gas monitoring, and wildfire smoke

research, among others. In addition, in the Explanatory

Statement accompanying P.L. 118-42 (Congressional

Record, March 5, 2024, pp. S1682-S1685), Congress

directed specific funding within the STAG account to airrelated grants, such as diesel emissions reduction, wildfire

smoke preparedness, and categorical grants specifically

related to air quality.

Environmental Justice

Funding levels for EPA environmental justice-related

programs and activities have been a long-standing issue in

appropriations discussions. Three executive orders (E.O.

12898, E.O. 14008, and E.O. 14096) direct EPA and other

agencies to integrate environmental justice into their

respective missions within the bounds of existing law. For

FY2024, P.L. 118-42 provided EPA with $100 million for

environmental justice within the EPM and Superfund

accounts, a decrease of $8 million (7.4%) compared to

FY2023 appropriations of $108 million.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Congress has considered the potential risks associated with

per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) when

providing EPA appropriations. The Explanatory Statement

accompanying P.L. 118-42 directed $8 million within the

S&T account for EPA to conduct research on PFAS

impacts in agricultural settings and communities. The

Explanatory Statement also directed $12 million in EPA

Public Water System Supervision categorical grants to

address PFAS and other contaminants of emerging concern.

These funds are available in addition to the $1.0 billion in

IIJA appropriations provided to EPA for emerging

contaminants work for FY2024 and funds from other

appropriations accounts that are available for addressing

PFAS in the environment.

Angela C. Jones, Analyst in Environmental Policy

https://crsreports.congress.gov

IF12626

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FY2024 Appropriations

Disclaimer

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