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Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] POLITICO Pro Energy Whiteboard Mon 8/7/2017 5:21:32 PM Pruitt distances himself from Trump cuts to Great Lakes
By Annie Snider
08/07/2017 01:18 PM EDT
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is touting his support for a popular Great Lakes cleanup program, despite the fact the Trump administration's budget proposed zeroing it out.
In a message accompanying a report to Congress on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Pruitt writes he is "proud" that through the initiative "we are fulfilling our mission to restore the health of the water that so many of our communities depend on." The message argues that the program's investments "are making a tremendous difference" across the region.
The Trump administration's fiscal 2018 budget proposed eliminating federal support for all watershed programs, including the Great Lakes program, which is by far the largest at roughly $300 million in annual federal funds. The move drew an outcry from Great Lakes lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, and the House Appropriations Committee's fiscal 2018 funding measure would restore those funds, although it would eliminate some of the smaller watershed programs.
The Trump budget also would eliminate federal funding for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup program, which Pruitt sued over as Oklahoma's attorney general but which he reversed course on and supported when nominated for the top job at EPA.
Pruitt has been distancing himself from the administration's proposed cuts to the popular watershed programs, telling lawmakers in June, "Honestly, money's important, but I think this leadership role is important as well, and that's going to continue." In July, Pruitt told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune the Great Lakes program is "a continuing need, and we have to see that it's adequately funded."
WHAT'S NEXT: Congress will ultimately determine funding levels for the watershed cleanup programs in its 2018 funding measures.
To view online'. https://www.politicopro.eom/energy/whiteboard/2017/08/pruitt-distances-himself-from-trumpcuts-to-great-lakes-
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