Ranking Member Pingree Statement at the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request Hearing for the Environmental Protection Agency

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Ranking Member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's hearing on the fiscal year 2025 budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Welcome back to the Subcommittee, Mr. Regan and Mr. Amin and thank you for being here.

The EPA's budget request totals $11 billion, an increase of $1.8 billion over the enacted level, to support its mission to protect human health and the environment.

The request proposes substantial increases to address the climate crisis through robust funding for the EPA's science and technology and environmental programs.

It makes important investments in environmental justice so that we can continue to address historic underinvestment in underserved and overburdened communities.

The budget request also makes significant investments in EPA's workforce, including funding for 2,000 new staff. Not only has the need for EPA's expertise expanded tremendously over the last decade but the growing challenges around climate change require more expertise and more staff.

I want to acknowledge some of the important work the EPA has done over last year.

You have established for the first time, a national and legally enforceable drinking water standard for PFAS. This is a big deal and it will go a long way in keeping families safe from these harmful chemicals.

The EPA so far has invested $9 billion to address PFAS and has issued guidance on how to dispose of and destroy it.

But there is more work to be done – particularly when it comes to PFAS in agricultural settings. I hope that we can talk more about those efforts today.

The EPA has also made significant progress in environmental justice – awarding millions in grant funding to communities all around the country.

This will help communities from Alaska to Maine lower energy costs, improve drinking water, breathe cleaner air, and become more resilient during times of extreme weather.

You also continue to hold polluters accountable. These efforts reduce our communities' exposure to hazardous waste and toxic chemicals.

Thank you to our witnesses for appearing before us today. We appreciate your testimony and answers to our questions.

With that, I yield back to Chairman Simpson.