On the Cutting Board: The US EPA Budget-Staff-Programs-Grants As the Trump Administration Plans the Coming FY Budget

The media establishment in Washington, DC is closely watching the signals as well as specific action taken by the Trump Administration and the 115th Congress that could or does affect the future of key government agencies whose mission and work directly/indirectly affects the mission and work of corporate sustainability and sustainable investing professionals.

Especially In focus:  the US Environmental Protection Agency; the Department of Energy; the Department of the Interior; the Securities & Exchange Commission; the Department of Defense...and others. 

The news so far is not good. For the most part, as the leadership of these agencies and departments turns over and Trump appointees are coming in, a number of the new leaders actually oppose existing agency and department programs -- and in some cases have expressed their intention to eliminate the agencies that they are appointed to lead!

In traditional Washington style, there are the official pronouncements and statements by "un-named officials" in the growing volume of media reports; there also Trump campaign positions being re-stated as "perspectives" in the news and commentary (editorials). 

The Washington Post writers Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis for example analyzed a plan ("leaked?") by the Trump White House to drastically cut US EPA staff, eliminate dozens of programs, and use the offset in "saved funds" to then fund increases in the defense budget. 

The EPA budget would be slashed from US$8.2 billion to $6.2 billion -- and with much of the funding going to state and municipal governments (grants), the impact could be even more significant for EPA core functions in protecting human health and the environment.

The Top Story this week is a good wrap up of what seems to be in store for the nation's "top cop" on the environment, and expert opinions regarding the new administration plans as the 2017-2018 FY budget is prepared for submission to the Congress.

We also offer G&A Institute's perspectives on this and related news stories emanating in the nation's capital city in our blog Sustainability Update (link here: Dangerous Antics – Fiddling with the Future of US EPA and the Health and Safety of the American People)  at the bottom of this newsletter.

With climate change deniers moving into powerful positions in the Federal government -- and a passel of deniers in charge at the state level -- the gains made in environmental protection and in advancing sustainability are at stake.  In our news wrap up, we share "good news" and "bad news" with you every week so that you can take action.  We are staying on the top of the news to present these types of headlines / and accompanying stories for you.

This is just a sample of some of the articles from this weeks SustainabilityHQ Highlights.  You can view the full Highlights by using the following links. Sustainability | ESG, Highlights for the Week of March 9,2017