EPA = You get what you pay for America!

[Drahthaardogs]

I wrote this down thread but I felt strongly enough that this should be its own post.

I work with (but not for) the EPA. Let me tell you a little bit about what has happened to these poor people the last five years.
1) Draconian budget cuts - Do more with less! Its the new American Way!

2) Sequestration - Forced upaid layoffs. Our good congressmen were so cruel, they made these folks take a day off at at a time lest they actually take a week off and go get another job in the interim. Yep, that is right, they purposely scheduled one day off a week so folks COULD NOT SEEK OTHER WORK!

3) Attrition - Our congress wants to cut the size of government so for every three retirees, there is ONE re-hire!

4) Pay freeze - pay has been frozen for these folks for years. Last year Obama gave them a 1% raise This year, a whopping 1.1% even though the rest of the country is now averaging 2% and GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS STILL GET 3% PER YEAR!

Now, in the bizzarro bullshit world we live in, instead of Congress voting to INCREASE FUNDING to the EPA so they can be fully staffed with the best and brightest, they will use this as an excuse to CUT FUNDING TO THE EPA!

Remember, Congress votes in the environmental laws and then tasks the EPA to enforce them. However, most of Congress is a bunch of little closet shits that pander to big business. They do not have the sack to actually repeal a law (their constituents might get pissed) so they try to starve the beast to death.

Keep that in mind before you bash the EPA. Please!

[yeoman6987]

1. No different then every federal government agency.

The sequestration should have been VETOed but wasn't so we're stuck with it. I hate it. Wished it never happened but it did. While passing everyone was shaking hands and then once implemented reality hit.

[Johonny]

7. +1

[MBS]

16. " " " n/t

[former9thward]

2. Could you post the figures about the draconian budget cuts?

The figures I have seen do not seem to bear that out. Congress only passes very broad laws on the environment. It leaves it to the EPA to create the regulations that the EPA enforces.

[Drahthaardogs]

6. Google Sequester

The budget cuts are clearly spelled out
Rumor in fedland is another shutdown is on its way Oct 1.

[former9thward]

8. No I won't.

I went to the EPA website. http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/budget

No draconian cuts according to their figures.

[Lancero]

11. Derp

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/245137-house-panel-approves-3017b-bill-to-cut-epa-funds-block-climate
http://www.foreffectivegov.org/blog/congress-slashes-epa-budget-again-despite-strong-public-support-strengthening-health-protection
http://www.govexec.com/management/2014/12/epas-budget-cut-shrinks-staff-smallest-1989/101847/
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/epa-budget-cuts-94632.html
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703385404576258550820756980

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2014/12/14/with-shutdown-avoided-who-are-winners-and-losers-in-2015-budget/

Not benefiting so much? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had its budget cut by more than $60 million. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy had previously cautioned that the agency had “zero real growth” since 2013 despite increased challenges. It’s the fifth year of cuts for the embattled agency. Even before the cuts, staffing is already at its lowest levels in 25 years.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/epa-funding-reductions-have-kneecapped-environmental-enforcement-20130303

But lawmakers have found another way to strike out at the agency they love to hate—by slashing its budget. Over the past two years, Congress has cut EPA’s budget by a whopping 18 percent, from $10.3 billion to $8.5 billion. And that’s not counting the effects of the across-the-board spending cuts that took effect with sequestration Friday.

Cutting the agency’s budget doesn’t take away its obligation to enforce environmental laws and implement new regulations, but it has dramatically weakened and slowed EPA’s ability to fulfill its mandate.

Your google-fu is weak young grasshopper.

[former9thward]

12. I linked to the EPA's own website.

Are they lying about their own budget?

[Lancero]

15. Again, derp.

It’s the fifth year of cuts for the embattled agency.

FY 2010
$10,297,864,000

FY 2015 $8,139,887,000

Staffing

Even before the cuts, staffing is already at its lowest levels in 25 years.

FY 2015 $8,139,887,000 TBD
FY 2014 $8,200,000,000 15,408

2015's staffing number haven't been released yet, though with the cuts they will be close or lower then 14's. So go back 25 years from 2015...

FY 1990
$5,461,808,000
16,318

And as a bonus, adjusted for inflation their budget in 1990 was 9,972,417,000.27, which puts their current budget 1.8 billion dollars down from the 1990.

[Drahthaardogs]

14. Did you even look at your own link?

A two billion dollar cut is draconian. Even more telling is a reduction in workforce of almost 15%. When you factor in inflation, escalation, and population growth, the actuals are even worse.

[former9thward]

19. I guess you forgot who suggested the sequester.

It was Obama.

[Drahthaardogs]

21. Obama is no friend to the feds

Nor labor and unions. He is better than the alternative. I have forgotten nothing.

[Drahthaardogs]

9. Well you are wrong.

Cuts in 2010 were bad. Sequestration cit about 1 billion of an 8 billion dollar budget.

[former9thward]

22. Sequestration hit everyone.

The EPA was not singled out.

[Fred Sanders]

3. The EPA bashing at DU is indeed puzzling and troubling. Total lack of understanding of the politics

and history by some.

[deathrind]

4. Yep.

I read a report stating that the EPA has tried for 25 yrs to get Superfund status for specifically that Gold mine (that is now spilling into the waterways) and others in Colorado in order to clean them up but has had no luck doing so. So yes, u get what u pay for or don't pay for in this instance.

[Suich]

5. Excellent post!

K & R!

[KT2000]

10. a subject i wish more cared about

here. The decisions they make or not make have a direct effect on our health and quality of our lives. There are good people there who have had their hands tied.

[freshwest]

13. Yes, I am tired of pointing this out to the willfully ignorant who love to bash them. n/t

[MBS]

17. you nailed it.

This has been the story for many hard-working federal agencies,especially since sequestration (not to mention the last ridiculous shutdown of 2013) and, in addition to tragic consequences like the recent environmental disaster,the continuing miserliness and contempt of congress has affected the general morale of many of those agencies.
Meanwhile, the lobbying industry and related parasites (Carly Fiorina now lives in the DC area-- shudder ) are getting wealthier and wealthier.
Unhealthy and counterproductive, to say the least.

[alarimer]

18. Meanwhile the military gets every toy they ask for and many that they don't.

And they never suffer personnel cuts, which are the biggest expense. The military needs to be cut immediately by a third.

Okay, make it gradual so we don't have hordes of unemployed folks, but it still needs to be reduced.

I saw in this thread that EPA went from $10B to $8B (not sure of the time frame), but that is a 20% cut. The only way they get that is by cutting people, making it a lot harder to enforce the laws. While at the same time, Obama wants to lower greenhouse gas emissions. A laudable goal and one I agree with, but impossible to enforce with current budgets.

The reality is that the EPA is in a tough position. Conservatives hate it, while progressives think it isn't tough enough.

[Octafish]

20. Excellent post!

Thank you, Drahthaardogs!

[DirkGently]

23. Republicans say government can't do anything ...

... then get elected and make sure that is the case.