Some interesting numbers from NRDC's legislative update. Forwarded by Jane Clark. Budget = N O T E ! = Both the House (on 5/9) and the Senate (on 5/10) passed the budget resolution for next fiscal year. Except for five Senate Democrats who crossed party lines to vote with the Republicans for the resolution, both votes were along party lines. This clears the way for a massive tax cut of $1.35 trillion over the next decade that will affect funding for important environmental programs. On 4/9, President Bush submitted his proposed budget for next year, with significant reductions in funding for environmental programs. The cuts would be a serious blow to environmental protections and would cripple environmental programs long into the future, slashing overall spending for environmental and natural resources agencies by $2.3 billion, or 7.2 percent, in fiscal year 2002, eliminating nearly $500 million from the EPA, nearly $400 million from the Department of Interior, and more than $600 million from the U.S. Forest Service. In addition, the Bush budget would cut about $450 million from the Department of Energy's clean energy and environmental cleanup programs and fails to provide funds to develop management plans for several national monuments designated by President Clinton. The president's budget also would slash funds for federal enforcement at the EPA by $11 million. This proposed cut has the potential to seriously hamper the effectiveness of the enforcement division, as the reductions would come almost exclusively from enforcement staff salaries. The loss of key enforcement officials, estimated at over 8 percent of the present staff, would severely undermine the EPA's ability to enforce compliance with environmental laws when states are unwilling or unable to do so. For a step-by-step guide to our annual odyssey through resolutions, reconciliations and appropriations, see NRDC's budget process fact sheet (http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/fbudg.asp). On 5/2, The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a joint hearing with the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee to look at funding for producing nuclear energy and disposing of nuclear waste. Sen. Domenici (R-NM) has introduced a bill (S. 472) that would provide $400 million in new subsidies for nuclear power, and could result in diverting much needed funding from renewable and clean energy programs. During the time that nuclear power has been used in the United States, taxpayers have paid $66 billion in subsidies to the nuclear industry. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]