Congress Strives to Increase Funding for NSF, NOAA, EPA, and USGS

June 29, 2007 – Congress is making rapid progress on appropriations bills that would provide substantial increases in funding for the National Science Foundation, NOAA, EPA, and the U.S. Geological Survey in fiscal year 2008.  The bills are far from complete and the President has announced his intention to veto some of the appropriations bills that contain funding for science programs. 

National Science Foundation.  A House Appropriations panel approved a bill that would increase funding for NSF by $593 million or 10.0 percent to $6.51 billion in FY 2008.  Not to be outdone, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill on June 28 that would increase the NSF budget by $637 million or 10.8 percent to $6.55 billion.  As part of his American Competitiveness Initiative, President Bush proposed increasing the NSF budget by $513 million or 8.7 percent to $6.43 billion in FY 2008. 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  On June 28, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would provide $4.2 billion for NOAA in FY 2008, an increase of $137 million or 3.4 percent above the FY 2007 level and an increase of $405 million or 10.6 percent above the President’s budget request.  Sen. Barbara Milulski (D-MD) said NOAA is “undervalued, underappreciated, and underfunded.”  The Senate bill includes a total of $795 million to implement the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative’s recommendations for ocean stewardship.  It directs the Initiative to focus on research, education, observation, and exploration.  A corresponding bill is pending before the House Appropriations Committee, but few details about NOAA are available at this time. 

Environmental Protection Agency.  Compared to the President's budget request, funding for EPA would increase by $887 million to $8.1 billion in FY 2008 under the House appropriations bill.  The corresponding Senate bill would increase EPA funding by $574 million above the President's budget request to $7.8 billion.  The President proposed cutting EPA’s total budget by $526 million to $7.2 billion in FY 2008.  However, the President's budget proposed increasing funding for EPA's Science and Techology account by $22 million or 3 percent to $755 million in FY 2008.  Compared to the FY 2007 enacted level, funding for EPA’s Science and Technology account would increase by $55 million or 7.5 percent to $788 million under the House bill and it would increase by $39 million or 5.3 percent to $773 million under the Senate bill.  NCSE is playing a lead role in restoring funding for EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) programs.  The House bill would increase funding for EPA’s STAR graduate fellowship program by $2.8 million to $11.2 million.  The House Appropriations Committee also emphasized the importance of EPA’s STAR research grants program: “The Committee continues to stress the importance of the STAR program and has attempted to target increases to areas that will both expand research and support the STAR program.  Funding reductions to the STAR program are not acceptable because such reductions ultimately result in gaps in critical environmental research.”

U.S.Geological Survey.  The budget for the U.S. Geological Survey would surpass $1 billion for the first time under legislation that that passed the House of Representatives on June 27.  The House bill would increase funding for the U.S. Geological Survey by $50 million or 5 percent to $1.03 billion in FY 2008.  The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill on June 21 that would provide $1.01 billion for the U.S. Geological Survey in FY 2008, an increase of $27 million above the FY2007 enacted level.  The President’s budget request proposed cutting the USGS budget $8 million to $975 million in FY 2008.  Both the House and Senate appropriations bills would restore proposed reductions to scientific programs assumed in the President’s budget request, including large cuts in the Mineral Resources program and the Water Resources Research Institutes.  President Bush has announced his intention to veto the Interior appropriations bill. 

Craig Schiffries, Ph.D.
Director of Science Policy and Senior Scientist
National Council for Science and the Environment
1707 H Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20006
Tel: 202-530-5810
E-mail: policy@NCSEonline.org