United States
Environmental Protection Agency
FISCAL YEAR 2021
Justification of Appropriation
Estimates for the Committee
on Appropriations
Tab 00: Introduction and Overview
February 2020
EPA-190-S-20-001	www.epa.gov/ocfo

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EPA's Mission
The FY 2021 Budget coincides with EPA's 50th anniversary on December 2, 2020, culminating a
celebration which will begin on Earth Day—April 22, 2020. Over the last 50 years, the Agency
has worked to fulfill its mission of protecting human health and the environment by improving the
nation's air, cleaning up land and water resources, and providing a cleaner, healthier environment.
Our Nation has come a long way since EPA was established in 1970. We have made great progress
in ensuring community water systems meet all health-based drinking water standards, making
rivers and lakes safe for swimming and boating, reducing the smog that clouded city skies, cleaning
up lands that were once used as chemical dumps, and providing Americans greater access to
information on the safety of the chemicals all around us. Today we can see enormous progress—
yet we still have important work to do.
The Budget provides the direction and resources to support the Agency's mission, based upon
robust scientific research and analysis in advancing core environmental protections with respect
to statutory and regulatory obligations. The EPA engages with state, local, and tribal partners as it
creates and implements sensible regulations that also work to enhance economic growth.
Three strategic goals1 guide EPA's work to protect human health and the environment:
•	Goal 1 - A Cleaner, Healthier Environment: Deliver a cleaner, safer, and healthier
environment for all Americans and future generations by carrying out the Agency's core
mission.
•	Goal 2 - More Effective Partnerships: Provide certainty to states, localities, tribal
nations, and the regulated community in carrying out shared responsibilities and
communicating results to all Americans.
•	Goal 3 - Greater Certainty, Compliance, and Effectiveness: Increase certainty,
compliance, and effectiveness by applying the rule of law to achieve more efficient and
effective agency operations, service delivery, and regulatory relief.
Environmental stewardship that supports a growing economy is essential to the American way of
life and key to economic success and competitiveness. The Agency's regulations, policies, and
decisions will continue to incorporate robust input from the public through formal and informal
mechanisms to ensure fuller understanding of the impact on public health, the environment, the
economy, jobs, families, and our communities.
FY 2021 Annual Performance Plan
EPA's FY 2021 Annual Performance Plan and Budget2 of $6,658 billion represents a $2,399
billion or 26% percent reduction from the Agency's FY 2020 Enacted Budget level. This resource
level, which supports 12,610.2 FTE, will enable EPA to address our highest priorities and fulfill
our critical mission for the American people. The Budget largely maintains the policy choices of
1	https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-09/documents/fv-2018-2Q22-epa-strategic-plan.Ddf.
2	The Budget includes a $159 million cancellation of funds.
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the FY 2020 President's Budget, and continues to support long-term performance goals in the
FY 2018-2022 EPA Strategic Plan, FY 2020-2021 Agency Priority Goals (APGs), FY 2021 annual
performance goals, and a focused set of priority areas.
The FY 2021 Budget supports our core programs for a cleaner healthier environment. A major
component of the Budget request is for infrastructure funding, including drinking water and clean
water infrastructure funding, as well as for funding brownfields and Superfund projects. The
Budget also includes $82 million for grants to support implementation of America's Water
Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA), $3 5 million for grants to support the 2016 Water Infrastructure
Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016 (WIIN), and $25 million to support loans through the
Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) credit program. The federal investment
in infrastructure, which also includes the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds,
has leveraged significant private investment, improving economic and environmental outcomes in
communities across the country.
Environmental protection is a shared responsibility and funds are provided to our state and tribal
partners through categorical grant programs. EPA recognizes that states require flexibility in
addressing their unique environmental priorities, and the Budget includes funding for
Multipurpose Grants to enable states to implement core mission work in a flexible manner. E-
Enterprise for the Environment provides a shared governance forum where states, tribes, and EPA
work together to streamline processes and leverage technology with the goal to provide accessible,
reliable information and to deliver better environmental results, often with lower costs and less
burden for the benefit of the public, the regulated community, and government agencies.
A priority area for EPA is to create consistency and certainty for the regulated community and to
remove unnecessary or redundant regulations. Removing unnecessary regulatory burdens allows
EPA to be a catalyst for economic growth while strengthening our focus on protecting human
health and the environment. The Budget supports continued implementation of Executive Order
13783, Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth, which directs all federal agencies
to identify and propose measures to suspend, revise, or rescind regulatory barriers that impede
progress towards energy independence. The Budget also provides essential resources to equip EPA
in delivering vital emergency response services in environmental disasters that no one state can
handle alone.
EPA will continue to modernize its permitting practices to increase the timeliness of reviews and
decisions, while working more collaboratively, transparently, and cost effectively to achieve the
Agency's mission. At the same time EPA will seek to improve internal operations to create more
efficient and effective administrative processes and better leverage modern technology to
accomplish its mission.
EPA also will continue the work it began in FY 2019 of implementing the new Foundations for
Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. Implementation of the Act will enhance strategic planning
under the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act (GPRMA). EPA will
systematically identify the most important evidence the Agency needs to advance its goals and
ensure the Agency uses high quality data and information to inform policy and decision making.
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In FY 2021, EPA will develop its first full draft learning agenda, in coordination with the
development of the FY 2022-FY 2026 EPA Strategic Plan.
FY 2020-2021 Agency Priority Goals
The Budget highlights EPA's six FY 2020-2021 APGs3 that advance EPA priorities and the FY
2018-2022 EPA Strategic Plan:
Goal 1, Objective 1.1: Improve air quality by reducing the number of areas not meeting air
quality standards. By September 30, 2021, EPA, in close collaboration with states, will reduce
the number of nonattainment areas to 121 from a baseline of 147.
Goal 1, Objective 1.2: Empower communities to leverage EPA water infrastructure
investments. By September 30, 2021, EPA will increase by $16 billion the non-federal dollars
leveraged by the EPA water infrastructure finance programs (Clean Water State Revolving Fund
[CWSRF], Drinking Water State Revolving Fund [DWSRF], and the Water Infrastructure Finance
and Innovation Act [WIFIA] Program).
Goal 1, Objective 1.3: Accelerate the pace of cleanups and return sites to beneficial use in
their communities. By September 30, 2021, EPA will make an additional 102 Superfund (SF)
sites and 1,368 brownfields (BF) sites ready for anticipated use (RAU).
Goal 3, Objective 3.4: Accelerate permitting-related decisions. By September 30, 2021, EPA
will reduce the backlog of new permitting-related decisions to zero from a baseline of 65; and
reduce the backlog of permit renewals by 50% from a baseline of 147. Note: The work under all
strategic goals contributes to this APG, which is agencywide in scope.
Cross-Cutting (supports multiple strategic goals and objectives): Reduce childhood lead
exposures and associated health impacts. By September 30, 2021, EPA will: establish drinking
water lead testing programs for schools in all states and the District of Columbia; reduce the
number of lead nonattainment areas to 10 from a baseline of 13; complete 48 cleanup actions at
sites where lead is a contaminant of concern; and increase the recertification rate of lead-based
paint renovation, repair, and painting firms to 28 percent from a baseline of 23 percent.
Cross-Cutting (supports multiple strategic goals and objectives): Reduce per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) risks to the public. By September 30, 2021, EPA will meet
several of the designated Priority Action milestones in the EPA PFAS Action Plan to establish a
framework to understand and address PFAS.
FY 2021 Funding Priorities
The FY 2021 President's Budget largely continues the policy direction of prior years while
providing funding dedicated to a focused set of emerging national and global environmental
challenges that include: Reducing Ocean Pollution and Plastic; Improving the U.S. Recycling
3 Agency Priority Goals reflect the top two-year priorities that the Agency will implement to advance progress towards the three
strategic goals.
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System and Reducing Food Loss and Waste; Supporting Opportunity Zones; Advancing Shared
Services and Systems Modernization; Implementing Electronic Records; Supporting Circuit
Riders Technical Assistance; Taking Action on PFAS; Reducing Nutrients and Harmful Algal
Blooms (HABs); and a cross-office Lead Exposure Reduction Initiative. The Budget provides an
additional $116.8 million with 35 FTE to address these focus areas, which help to advance EPA's
and the Administration's policy priorities; support long-term performance goals in the FY 2018-
2022 EPA Strategic Plan, the FY 2020-2021 Agency Priority Goals (APGs), and the FY 2021
annual performance goals; as well as help us to meet government-wide management directives and
goals.
Protecting our Children
Protecting children's health where children live, learn, and play is important to all Americans. EPA
is committed to aggressively addressing lead issues across America by working with communities
and partners to further identify and reduce lead exposure. This is especially important for children
who are most vulnerable to long-term adverse effects. The Budget includes an additional $45
million to support the Lead Exposure Reduction Initiative and aligns funding to the goals of the
Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposure 4, to advance pending regulatory actions
on lead including revision of the Lead and Copper rule, and to conduct research and provide
technical assistance regarding lead issues. To concentrate efforts, the Agency developed
a FY 2020-2021 APG focused on reducing childhood lead exposures and associated health
impacts. Through the Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposure, EPA is
coordinating with other federal agencies to reduce exposure to lead with the aim of ultimately
improving children's health. However, beyond lead, children may be exposed to additional
environmental hazards in public and faith-based schools and childcare centers, particularly in
outdated schools and educational centers.
Nearly 50 million children and 6 million teachers and other adults spend their days in over 100,000
K-12 schools and faith-based educational facilities. Many of these buildings are old, in poor
condition, and may contain environmental conditions that pose increased risks to the health of
children and staff. To address this multifaceted issue, the FY 2021 Budget proposes $50 million to
support a Healthy Schools Grant Program that is intended to address these potential gaps in school
environmental health by working with and through our state, tribal, and community partners. This
flexible grant program will enable our implementing partners to target their highest-priority efforts
to protect human health and the environment in school and other settings. Funding would be
available to identify and help prevent, reduce, and resolve environmental hazards and reduce
childhood lead exposure, reduce asthma triggers, promote integrated pest management, and reduce
or eliminate childhood exposure to one or more toxics in schools across all environmental media.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of the Nation is not limited to roads and bridges. The infrastructure needs of our
communities are broader and include making improvements to drinking water and wastewater
infrastructure as well as restoring the Nation's land and waterways. In FY 2021, EPA will focus
4 https://www.epa.gov/lead/federal-action-plan-reduce-childhood-lead-exposure.
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on making infrastructure and public health protection investments in communities by working with
and through our state and tribal partners.
Recognizing the importance of modernizing the aging water infrastructure on which the American
public depends every day, the Budget supports the President's commitment to infrastructure repair
and replacement and would allow states, municipalities, and private entities to finance high-
priority infrastructure investments. The FY 2021 Budget includes $1.98 billion for the State
Revolving Funds (SRF), approximately $82 million to implement sections of the America's Water
Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA) legislation, $35 million for grants to support the 2016 Water
Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN), and $25 million for the Water
Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program.
The SRF funding directly supports infrastructure repair, rehabilitation and replacement and would
allow states, municipalities, and private entities to continue to finance high-priority infrastructure
investments that protect human health and the environment. The SRFs are a primary source of
low-cost capital for small and rural communities that otherwise struggle to obtain resources to
build or upgrade wastewater or drinking water infrastructure construction. These resources
additionally help to bring national, state and local water systems into compliance with
environmental rules and regulations. SRF resources provide critical funding to help replace lead
pipes that may leach lead into the Nation's drinking water supply. The Federal Government has
invested over $65 billion in grants to help capitalize the SRFs. With the required state match,
additional state contributions, and funds from program leveraging, funds made available for loans
total over $185 billion since their inception.
Clean and safe drinking water is critical to the health of communities across the Nation. Although
most systems consistently provide safe and reliable drinking water, many small systems face
challenges with aging infrastructure, increasing costs and decreasing rates bases. To address the
needs of a more robust water infrastructure framework, President Trump signed the bipartisan
AWIA legislation on October 23, 2018. AWIA was enacted to help address numerous drinking
water and wastewater issues in large municipalities and small rural communities. In FY 2021, EPA
continues to work with partners in developing implementation guidelines for five new grant
programs created by AWIA, including: Drinking Fountain Lead Testing, Drinking Water
Infrastructure Resilience, Sewer Overflow Control Grants, Technical Assistance for Treatment
Works, and Water Infrastructure and Workforce Investment. Proposed FY 2021 funding for
continued implementation of WIIN supports activities to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water
and in schools.
With $25 million provided in FY 2021 under the WIFIA appropriation, EPA could potentially
provide up to $2 billion in direct credit assistance, which, when combined with other funding
sources, could spur over an estimated $4 billion in total infrastructure investment.5 The WIFIA
program is designed to offer credit assistance with flexible terms in order to attract private
participation, encourage new revenue streams for infrastructure investment, and allow increased
overall infrastructure investment. This makes the WIFIA program's credit assistance a powerful
tool to help address a variety of existing and new water infrastructure needs. As of October 2019,
this relatively new program at EPA had issued 14 WIFIA loans totaling over $3.5 billion in credit
5 This approximation is based on notional calculations. Subsidy cost is determined on a loan-by-loan basis.
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assistance to help finance over $8 billion for water infrastructure projects and create over 15,000
jobs. The WIFIA Program has an active pipeline of pending applications for projects that may,
once approved, result in billions of dollars in water infrastructure investment and thousands of
jobs.
Implementing the Opportunity Zone provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 is a priority
for the President, and EPA is focused on advancing this work. The FY 2021 Budget proposes an
additional $23.1 million with 12 FTE for the Agency to support revitalization efforts in
Opportunity Zone communities. Of this amount, $5.1 million is dedicated to increase technical
assistance and coordination in Opportunity Zones. $18 million is included as a set-aside within the
Brownfields Projects program to support Opportunity Zone development. Opportunity Zones are
a catalyst for redevelopment and environmental improvements and the Agency has a role in
helping communities attract private sector capital to better solve their environmental challenges.
Opportunity Zones also can spur capital investment and business development in economically
distressed places, leading to diversified economies, improved job opportunities, and better
environmental outcomes. Through the combined funding of SRFs, AWIA, WIFIA, and projects in
Opportunity Zones, EPA will ensure that it is serving disadvantaged communities by leveraging
private investment to improve the economy and protect human health and the environment.
EPA's infrastructure investments are catalysts for economic growth and environmental protection
in communities across America and the Agency will continue to support private and public
investment in economic revitalization that improves environmental outcomes across the country.
EPA will work to link infrastructure and community assistance program resources to spur similar,
non-Agency investments with the goal of enhancing the collective impact those resources have in
communities.
Improving Air Quality
In FY 2021, EPA will continue to advance activities in support of the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (NAAQS) and implementation of stationary source regulations to support state,
local, and tribal air quality programs. The Agency will continue its Clean Air Act (CAA) mandated
responsibilities to administer the NAAQS and will provide a variety of technical assistance,
trainings, and information to support implementation of state clean air plans. EPA will continue to
prioritize statutorily mandated responsibilities and court-ordered actions. The Agency will
continue to focus on states achieving attainment, with an emphasis on improved processes for State
Implementation Plans (SIPs) and implementation options. EPA will continue to conduct periodic
technology reviews and conduct risk assessments to determine whether Maximum Achievable
Control Technology-based National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (MACT-
based NESHAP) appropriately protect public health. The FY 2021 Budget includes $437.3 million
to support the objective of improving air quality efforts through common sense standards,
guidelines and grant assistance.
In FY 2021, the Agency will continue to perform its compliance oversight functions on priority
areas where there is evidence to suggest noncompliance and conduct testing activities for pre-
certification confirmatory testing for emissions and fuel economy for passenger cars. The Federal
Vehicle and Fuels Standards and Certification Program requests funding of $80.9 million and
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296.7 FTE to focus its efforts on certification decisions, which directly support environmental
protection and commerce.
The Budget proposes new authority for EPA to establish user fees for entities that participate in
the ENERGY STAR Program. By administering the ENERGY STAR Program through the
collection of user fees, EPA would continue to provide a trusted resource for state and local
governments, consumers, businesses, and other interested parties to reduce energy usage, save
money and help protect the environment.
The Agency will continue to focus on air monitoring, which provides critical information to states
when developing clean air plans, conducting air research, and communicating with the public. In
FY 2021, EPA will provide grants to state, local, and tribal air pollution control agencies to manage
and implement their air quality programs. We will work with our state and tribal partners to
approve their implementation plans for attaining air quality standards, consistent with statutory
obligations, to reduce contaminants that cause or exacerbate health issues. To support our co-
regulating partners, $151.9 million is included in the Budget for State and Local Air Quality
Management grants, and $8.9 million for Tribal Air Quality Management grants.
Clean and Safe Water
EPA will continue to provide scientific water quality criteria information, review and approve state
water quality standards, and review and approve state lists of impaired waters. In FY 2021, the
Agency will work with states and other partners on Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) as
required by the Clean Water Act, as well as on waterbody restoration plans for listed impaired
waterbodies. EPA also will continue to implement and support core water quality programs that
control point-source discharges through permitting and pre-treatment programs. EPA will continue
to coordinate and support the protection of the Nation's critical water infrastructure from terrorist
threats and all-hazard events through ongoing Homeland Security programs.
EPA will continue to partner with states, drinking water utilities, and other stakeholders to identify
and address current and potential sources of drinking water contamination. These efforts are
integral to sustainable infrastructure efforts as source water protection can reduce the need for
additional drinking water treatment and the associated costs. In FY 2021, the Agency will continue
to support small and rural community water systems. For example, EPA will provide circuit rider
technical assistance to Indian tribes and rural water systems to help achieve compliance with
drinking water and wastewater regulations.
On a larger domestic and international scale, marine litter represents a cross-border environmental
waste issue that necessitates immediate action. The Budget calls for a coordinated funding effort
to expand trash capture programs, deepen recycling systems, and expand the leadership role of the
Agency in international fora like the G7 and G20 to help address this pressing global challenge.
The Budget includes an additional $8.4 million with 7 FTE to support reducing ocean pollution
and plastic waste.
The Budget requests $320 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and $7.3
million for the Chesapeake Bay program to support federal coordination and monitoring of these
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water bodies of national significance. Through the coordinated effort of the GLRI, EPA and other
federal agencies are helping to restore the environmental, health and economic benefits the Great
Lakes provide to the region's more than 30 million residents. The Budget establishes a cost-share
requirement for all grant funding awarded by EPA using GLRI allowing for a provision to waive
this requirement for cases of demonstrated financial hardship on the part of the grant recipient. In
addition, $3.2 million and 1.2 FTE are requested to coordinate restoration activities in South
Florida, including ongoing restoration efforts in the Everglades and the Florida Keys where water
quality and habitat are directly affected by land-based sources of pollution.
Nutrients and Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) Reductions
The FY 2021 Budget proposes an additional $22.4 million with 5.5 FTE to address and reduce
harmful algal blooms, which can be caused by nutrient pollution. Included in the request, EPA will
establish a new $15 million grant program designed to target both prevention and response actions
for harmful algal blooms (HABs) that pose significant health or economic risks. The program will
provide data standards and geo-referencing expertise for EPA's research, predictive modeling and
monitoring tools and analyses, and policy approaches to target and reduce nutrient pollution that
causes HABs and impacts water quality across the country.
Taking Action on PFAS
The Budget allows EPA to continue to aggressively implement the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS) Action Plan—the Agency's first multi-media, multi-program, national
research, management and risk communication plan to address this class of emerging chemicals.6
The Agency will coordinate and support stakeholders, including states, tribes, and communities,
to identify PFAS in the environment and take actions to prevent or remediate its presence. The
Budget request will enable EPA to address needs for policy, regulatory, and enforcement actions
across multiple statutory authorities, as well as develop analytical methods, toxicity values, and
additional treatment and remediation options that will help states and communities to address
PFAS exposures. To elevate PFAS as an area of focus for the Agency, EPA established a new
FY 2020-2021 APG to reduce PFAS risks to the public. In FY 2021, an additional $5.9 million
with 5 FTE is requested to advance the implementation of the Agency's PFAS Action Plan.
Revitalizing Land and Reducing Waste
The cleanup and reuse of contaminated lands often can play an important role in economically
revitalizing a community. EPA's cleanup programs, including Superfund and brownfields, protect
human health and the environment and return sites to productive use, which is important to the
economic wellbeing of communities. Working collaboratively with partners across the country,
EPA engages with communities in site cleanup decisions, fosters employment opportunities in
communities during and after remedy construction, promotes the redevelopment of blighted areas,
and protects human health and the environment.
The FY 2021 Budget includes $1,104 billion to revitalize land and prevent future contamination.
In FY 2021, EPA will continue to emphasize its top priority list of Superfund sites.7 These sites
are targeted for immediate and intensive action to accelerate cleanup and promote site reuse while
6	https://www.epa.gov/pfas/epas-pfas-action-plan.
7	https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-sites-targeted-immediate-intense-action.
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addressing risks to human health and the environment. The Agency will accelerate cleanup by re-
prioritizing some resources to focus on remedial actions, construction completions, ready-for-
anticipated-use determinations, and National Priorities List site deletions. Further, the Agency will
emphasize efforts to clean up and propel development at Superfund sites that offer the greatest
expected redevelopment and commercial potential, as outlined in the recently released Superfund
Redevelopment Opportunity Sites webpage,8 and will promote additional private investment in
cleanup activities as recommended by the Superfund Task Force.9
In FY 2021, EPA will continue to invest in communities through brownfields grants so they can
make progress toward their visions for environmental health, economic growth, and job creation.
As of January 2020, brownfields grants awarded by EPA have led to over 88,900 acres of idle land
made ready for productive use and over 156,500 jobs and $29.5 billion leveraged. In FY 2021
alone, brownfields program activities have the potential to leverage over 5,500 more jobs and over
$1 billion in other funding sources.
Improving the U.S. Recycling System and Reducing Food Loss and Waste
Recycling programs reduce waste, conserve resources for the future, and protect our land and
waters. Managing materials sustainably promotes economic growth and reduces environmental
impacts, while food waste reduction programs are needed to help reach the Nation's goal of
reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030.10 In the United States, around 30-40 percent
of all available food goes uneaten through loss or waste. Discarded food ends up in communities'
landfills and produces methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas. Additionally, communities and
businesses are spending unnecessary resources to manage materials that are ultimately wasted.
Keeping excess food out of landfills not only helps the environment, but it also can be used to feed
people, feed animals, or create energy.
The Agency will advance recycling by providing national leadership and direction on approaches
to reduce environmental impacts and increase safe and effective reuse and recycling of materials.
EPA also is focused on food loss and waste prevention. These initiatives complement ongoing
EPA work in managing materials more sustainably, promoting economic growth, and reducing
environmental impacts. Additional resources will be used to conduct a needs assessment of the
U.S. recycling industry to inform future work, support grant programs, and encourage the use of
recycled materials in manufacturing through a pilot incentive program. One proposed grant
program, the Community Recycling Infrastructure and Capacity Building Grant, will support pilots
and infrastructure in communities seeking to enhance their capacity to recover and recycle
materials. In FY 2021, $5.8 million with 5.5 FTE are requested to support this Agency priority.
Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals
In FY 2021, the Agency will continue to prioritize its significant and new responsibilities under
The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act for ensuring that new and
existing chemicals are evaluated in a timely manner, and that any unreasonable risks are addressed.
8	https://www.epa.gov/superfund-redevelopment-initiative/superfund-redevelopment-opportunitv-sites.
9	https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations.
10	https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-food-loss-and-waste-203Q-champions.
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EPA will focus on meeting its statutory requirements and mandatory deadlines under the Toxic
Substances Control Act and ensure reviews are efficient, effective, and transparent to stakeholders.
For chemicals in commerce, EPA will maintain an ambitious schedule for initiating and
completing chemical risk evaluations and, where risks are identified, for initiating and completing
regulatory actions to address those risks. In FY 2021, EPA will continue to evaluate risks on the
next 20 chemicals and begin to develop risk management approaches for any unreasonable risks
identified in the first 10.
New chemicals will be evaluated before they are allowed to be commercialized. Decisions will be
based on the best available science and weight of evidence. EPA's toxics program will maintain
its 'zero tolerance' goal for preventing the introduction of any unsafe new chemicals into
commerce. EPA also will implement the new mandates related to determinations on claims for
confidentiality for chemical identities. In addition to fees, $69 million is requested in FY 2021 for
the TSCA Chemical Risk Review and Reduction program to support this high priority work. EPA
will focus on meeting its statutory requirements and mandatory deadlines.
In FY 2021, the Agency will continue to provide firm and individual certifications for safe work
practices for lead-based paint abatement and renovation and repair efforts. The program also will
provide for the operation and maintenance of the online Federal Lead-Based Paint program
database (FLPP) that supports the processing of applications for training providers, firms, and
individuals.
Identifying, assessing, and reducing the risks presented by the pesticides on which our society and
economy rely is integral to ensuring environmental and human safety. In FY 2021, EPA will
continue to meet its statutory requirements for pesticide registration and registration review, and
will invest resources to improve the compliance of pesticide registrations with the Endangered
Species Act. Funding also will ensure that pesticides are correctly registered and applied in a
manner that protects water quality. Pesticides help provide for effective pest control for homes,
schools, gardens, highways, utility lines, hospitals, and drinking water treatment facilities, while
also controlling vectors of disease and supporting food production. EPA will continue to
implement its responsibility to ensure that pesticides available in the U.S. are safe when used as
directed.
Regulatory and Permitting Priorities
The Budget provides resources to ensure EPA is able to meet pressing demands in priority areas,
including reviewing and revising regulations, improving the permitting process, and enhancing
collaboration with state, tribal, and federal partners. Efforts to identify and address potential hold-
ups in the permitting process will continue to ensure that unnecessary delays do not get in the way
of environmental protection or economic growth. By the end of FY 2019, EPA reduced the backlog
of new permit applications by 65 percent (from 149 to 52 applications, excluding Clean Air Act
New Source Review and Title V Operating Permits) through a series of targeted efforts to improve
the efficiency and effectiveness of permitting programs. The Agency will continue this focus and
has established an FY 2020-2021 APG to accelerate permitting-related decisions. EPA will
continue to be a leader in the government to advance deregulation, accelerate permitting work, and
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provide technical assistance for our partners. Specific deregulatory and permitting actions and
progress are highlighted in program project fact sheets.
Expansion of Fee Funding
EPA proposes several fees in FY 2021 to better align appropriated resources to the Agency's core
mission, to provide dedicated funding sources for specific activities, and to better align program
costs with beneficiaries. By administering select EPA programs through the collection of user fees,
entities benefiting from those programs would directly pay for the services and benefits that the
programs provide. EPA is proposing two voluntary user fees that will enable the Agency to provide
compliance assistance services to both Risk Management Plan facilities and Facility Response
Plan and Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure facilities. EPA also is proposing to
establish ENERGY STAR as a fee-funded program in FY 2021. This fee would allow the Agency
to continue to provide a trusted resource for state and local governments, consumers, businesses,
and other interested parties, helping them to reduce energy usage, save money and protect the
environment. In addition, EPA will continue to work with OMB, other Agencies, and key
stakeholders to review potential areas where fee-funding may be an appropriate mechanism to
reduce the burden on taxpayers.
Implementing the PMA and Reducing Regulatory Burden
The Administration is committed to creating a leaner, more accountable, less intrusive, and more
effective Government. EPA will continue to place an emphasis on reducing unnecessary or
duplicative burden to the regulated community. This will be advanced through implementation of
the President's Management Agenda and through common sense deregulatory actions that provide
greater certainty and better communication to our partners. In support of the PMA, the FY 2021
Budget includes support for upgrading the Agency's enterprise-wide records management system.
Efforts to digitize hardcopy records and transition to centralized records centers will ultimately
reduce costs, address space needs, and support ongoing program needs for information. The FY
2021 President's Budget request supports ongoing efforts to transition to existing and proposed
shared-services such as Treasury's G-Invoicing system which will require upgrades to the
Agency's accounting system and related interfaces to support inter-agency work with our federal
partners. Furthermore, EPA has eliminated certain programs and activities to focus on the core
Agency mission. Programs and activities eliminated in the FY 2021 Budget total approximately
$680 million compared to Estimated FY 2020 Enacted Budget levels.
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