Read the full story in Environmental Science & Technology.
Now that Congress has returned from its spring recess, members have begun drafting the funding bills for federal science agencies. The Bush Administration’s $7.2 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 2008 for the U.S. EPA is a $400 million cut from last year, marking the lowest overall funding request in this century in real dollars, critics say. The continuing erosion in EPA’s budget, including a sharp drop in funds for science research, is beginning to cripple the agency’s ability to do its job. Morale at the agency is at its lowest point in 25 years, according to several senior EPA scientists who spoke to ES&T on condition of anonymity.