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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Lois Capps today issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator’s testimony before the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials and Energy and Air Quality.
“In today’s hearing I questioned the Environmental Protection Agency’s Administrator Stephen Johnson about his agency’s ability to clean up Superfund sites across the country given that the President’s 2008 budget fails to provide adequate funding. I noted that the Administration’s commitment to clean up these sites appears to have waned significantly despite the fact that the number of and the cost of cleaning up Superfund sites has continued to grow. For example, there has been a reduction of $137 million in requested funding for Superfund cleanups since 2005. And EPA itself reports that staff levels are decreasing and funding shortfalls for sites ready for cleanup have grown.
“I am very concerned about EPA being able to live up to its commitment to begin cleanup at proposed sites like Halaco given the inadequacy of the the President’s budget request. The public health and the environmental consequences of these sites are very serious and we need to do more to address them.”
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Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.
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