Schneiderman says the cuts would cause direct, immediate, and lasting harm to New Yorkers’ public health and environment — and in the letter, Attorney General Schneiderman makes clear that he will not hesitate to take action to protect New Yorkers if the EPA fails to meet its legal obligations to ensure a clean, safe, and healthy environment.
“President Trump’s budget cuts would cause untold – and perhaps irreparable – damage to New York’s rivers, lakes, and drinking water,” Schneiderman said. “Even before these massive cuts, EPA represents just two-tenths of one percent of the federal budget — yet it’s responsible for protecting our environment and public health. As I’ve made clear: if the Trump administration won’t meet its legal obligation to ensure basic access to a clean, safe, and healthy environment, I won’t hesitate to act to protect New Yorkers.”
As reported, President Trump’s proposed budget would cut the EPA’s budget by $2 billion – a 25 percent cut – and the EPA’s workforce by 20 percent, which amounts to the firing of 3,000 employees. Grants to states, as well as air and water programs, would be cut by 30 percent. As Attorney General Schneiderman’s letter states, these massive cuts would devastate the core public and environmental health programs New Yorkers’ depend on, including those that ensure safe drinking water and clean water; reduce lead poisoning in children; protect homeowners from dangerous radon; ensure coastal waters are safe for recreation; clean up and return contaminated sites to productive use; ensure that companies are controlling toxic chemicals; research threats of emerging contaminants; and protect against environmental injustice.
For example, these cuts would directly undermine New York’s years-long partnership with the EPA and the federal government to provide municipalities with critical funding to ensure safe drinking water and keep water clean by adequately treating wastewater. Nearly 95% of all New Yorkers receive water from public water supply systems, and over 1,600 municipalities are served by wastewater treatment facilities. Without essential funding, municipalities will be hard-strapped to finance and ensure the safety of their drinking water supplies – potentially jeopardizing the health of millions of New Yorkers.
The letter also highlights the Trump administration’s proposed 97 percent cut to the EPA’s funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is one of the most widely supported, bipartisan, and successful pieces of legislation in Great Lakes history. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has been critical in improving and protecting the health of these bodies of water, which support over 150,000 local jobs and have spurred millions in other investments. Finally, the letter cites the massive proposed cuts to climate change research, which imperils not just water quality and infrastructure but the air quality and overall health, safety, and welfare of all New Yorkers and Americans. Specifically, the letter calls out the devastating rainfall caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011, which dumped more than 11 inches of rain on the Hudson Valley, eastern Adirondacks, Catskills, and Champlain Valley in just 24 hours, causing 31 counties to be declared disaster areas. “Despite the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, and the human contribution to it, the President continues not only to question the underlying science, but through the planned EPA budget and other actions, also work to undermine our nation’s leadership and commitment in fighting it,” Attorney General Schneiderman writes.
“Please know that – whether by starving the Agency’s budget and depleting and demoralizing its workforce, or through willful ignorance – if the EPA falters in meeting its legal obligations to ensure a clean, safe, and healthy environment for New Yorkers, I will not hesitate to use the full power of my office to force the agency to meet those obligations and to hold polluters accountable for violations of New York State and federal law,” Attorney General Schneiderman’s letter concludes.
Last month, Attorney General Schneiderman led a coalition of Attorneys General in opposing President Trump’s Executive Order that seeks to eliminate the Clean Water Rule; he has also led the coalition of states and localities supporting the Clean Power Plan, urging President Trump to reject misguided advice to discard the plan.
“The EPA has played a critical role in issues of great environmental and community impact in Western New York including the restoration of the Buffalo River which has spurred millions in private investment, the creation of the Steel Winds site in Lackawanna, support for a new green-job training program, the cleanup of superfund sites, and the protection of Western New York residents against clean-air violations by Tonawanda Coke, just to name a few,” said Congressman Brian Higgins.
Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York said, “President Trump has declared war on our lungs, our drinking water, and the scientists and ‘cops on the beat’ charged with enforcing our country’s laws to protect public health. This is a pivotal moment — the nation needs New York to lead. We thank and applaud Attorney General Schneiderman, and encourage all state leaders to meet this moment and lead on climate, clean air and water, and all that New Yorkers depend on.”
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