Trump Releases Budget Proposal That Would Would Slash Funding for Climate Programs

President Trump released a budget proposal that would eliminate funding for many climate change-related programs, including the Clean Power Plan, and significantly reduce the operating budgets of agencies that are engaged in climate change research and regulation. Specifically, the budget calls for the following cuts related to climate change:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  • Decreases EPA’s overall operating budget by 31% ($2.6 billion)
  • Reduces funding to EPA’s Office of Research and Development by 48% ($233 million)
  • Eliminates approximately 2,600 EPA positions
  • Eliminates funding for the Clean Power Plan, international climate change programs, climate change research and partnership programs, and related efforts
  • Eliminates funding for the Energy Star program

Department of Energy (DOE)

  • Decrease DOE’s overall operating budget by 5.6% ($1.7 billion)
  • Eliminates programs that support clean energy research and development, including the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, the Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program, and the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program
  • Eliminates the Weatherization Assistance Program
  • Eliminates the State Energy Program
  • Re-focuses funding for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy on “limited, early-stage applied energy research and development activities”

Department of Interior (DOI)

  • Decreases DOI’s overall operating budget by 12% ($11.6 billion)
  • Increases funding for energy development programs
  • Maintains funding for wildfire suppression activities at historical rates (which have proven inadequate)
  • Decreases funding for land acquisition by more than $120 million

Department of State 

  • Eliminates the Global Climate Change Initiative
  • Eliminates payments to UN climate change programs, including the Green Climate Fund and its two precursor Climate Investment Funds
  • Eliminates funding for the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance program
  • Reduces funding for multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, by approximately $650 million over three years

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

  • Reduces funding for coastal research and grant programs that prepare communities for rising seas and worsening storms by $250 million

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

  • Reduces funding for the Earth science portfolio by $102 million
  • Terminates three Earth science missions that provide important data on climatic and oceanic conditions: PACE, OCO-3, and CLARREO Pathfinder

The budget will now go to Congress for review and modifications.