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Enviro Cuts Loom in Congress

By Charlie Deitz

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-962225.mp3

Massachusetts – With Earth Day just over two weeks away, environmental advocates are stressing how important it is for the federal government to maintain funding meant to protect our natural world. WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief Charlie Deitz has the report.

Bill Eichbaum helped to establish Earth Day 41 years ago, now as an executive vice president at the World Wildlife Fund, he worries that Congress's budget proposal will thwart environmental protection efforts at home and abroad, and adds that foreign aid cuts mean less resources for emerging democracies which are dependent on natural resources for their stability.

"Most Americans think 27 percent of our budget goes to foreign aid its more like 1 percent."

The EPA is currently funded at about 10 billion dollars, President Obama put out a 12 percent proposed reduction, which was rejected by the house in favor of a 30 percent reduction . Eichbaum, who also served as the undersecretary of envorinmental issues in Massachusetts under Governor Michael Dukakis, says the state and national agencies work in tandem on major issues, and even local matters will be affected should a cut like this go through.

"Water pollution in the Housatonic,air pollution,green house gases,EPA faces a 30 percent real reduction in capacity and enforcement inspection."

One measure that could be affected is a Berkshire County effort to prevent the spread of the invasive zebra mussel, which was found for the first time in an inland waterway in 2009. A bill to enforce prevention died in the Massachusetts house last year, but Senator Ben Downing resurrected it and got committee endorsement this week.

"It gives our environmental police the ability to enforce inspections around our lakes and ponds."

Downing worries that the house budget also favors antiquated energy production like gas and oil through subsidies but cuts out incentives for wind and solar. He goes on to say that the EPA and its sub agencies are all of a sudden part of the political game.

"Not allowing EPA to make decisions based on sound science, making decisions based on politics is not the way to go, it's an agency that should be above partisan politics."

Eichbaum notes that this debate has the potential to dilute Earth Day which he says should be about activism and engagement, but may end up being about partisan politics instead.