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Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals (1996)

Chapter: The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities

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Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities1

ALBERT H. TEICH

American Association for the Advancement of Science

CONTENTS

1  

This paper was prepared at the request of the National Research Council by the author writing as an individual. The interpretations and opinions contained herein are solely those of the author and should not be taken to represent positions of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, its Board, or its Council. The author wishes to thank Kei Koizumi for his assistance in the preparation of the paper.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×
Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

INTRODUCTION

Focus

The federal budget is the central process of American government. Through the budget process, incommensurable quantities are compared, priorities are set, and the plans of federal agencies are laid out for Congress and the public to review, approve, modify, or reject. If one is to ask, therefore, what are the nation's priorities with regard to the environment, the federal budget is an obvious place to look for the answer. This paper is an attempt to take a rough first cut at examining national environmental priorities using federal budget data as its primary source. Specifically, it will attempt to respond to several questions:

  • How are federal environmental priorities reflected in budgetary patterns and trends?

  • How have these priorities shifted over the past several years?

  • What part does environmental R&D play in overall federal funding for environmental programs?

  • How does funding for environmental R&D compare to overall federal R&D funding?

  • What can be said about the relation between funding for environmental programs and current statements of environmental goals?

Caveats Regarding the Analysis

Budget analysis is a complex and tedious undertaking. Time and resource constraints limit this paper to no more than a first approximation at responding to the above questions. In addition, several conceptual and practical issues that may limit the utility of the analysis should be noted.

First is the difficulty of defining environmental programs in an unambiguous manner. A huge variety of government activities impact the environment and could be classified as environmental programs. These range from energy production and conservation programs to agricultural efforts (e.g., promotion of integrated pest management) to outdoor recreation programs. At some level, it is necessary to make fairly arbitrary distinctions in order to limit the scope of "environmental." The umbrella covering environmental programs is discussed below. Differing definitions will, of course, yield different results.

Second is the difficulty of obtaining budget data at an appropriate level of aggregation. Extracting information about individual programs from federal budget documents is an arduous task when the subject is the current year's budget. The job is made infinitely more difficult in looking at trend data, as the budget documents tend to be ephemeral and organizational changes often make it difficult to track programs from year to year.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Third, and more fundamental, is the fact that budgetary data are an imperfect indicator of priority. The spending levels of different federal programs do indicate that society (through its government) has decided to allocate more money for one than the other, which can be construed as an indicator of preference, or a measure of priority. Yet some things cost more by nature. Launching a satellite to monitor conditions in the upper atmosphere may be considerably more expensive than a project that involves conducting national field studies of water quality. Their costs may differ by a factor of ten or even 100. This does not necessarily mean that one is 100 times more important than the other.

Fourth, in judging the relations between environmental budgets and statements of environmental goals there is the problem of whose goals are "national goals." In our pluralistic society, there may be numerous conflicting views of what constitutes an appropriate set of national goals for the environment. Indeed, the very existence of the Forum for which this paper has been prepared, is evidence of the lack of consensus on such goals.

Finally, it should be remembered that the federal government is not the only source of funds for environmental programs. State and local governments as well as the private sector expend considerable sums on programs and activities related to the environment. None of these are included in the present analysis. The federal government may choose to spend more or less on a particular activity not because it is more or less important, but because others are already covering it adequately.

ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITIES AND TRENDS IN THE FEDERAL BUDGET

EPA—A First Approximation

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the federal government's flagship agency for environmental regulation, for mitigation and remediation of problems caused by environmental pollution, for environmental monitoring, and for R&D related to these missions. It was formed in 1970 by bringing together units from several different federal departments and agencies, including components of the Department of the Interior and the then-Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. EPA's responsibilities include administration of programs under the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and several other major pieces of environmental legislation. Although most definitions of environmental programs include a considerable number of other federal activities, the level of funding for EPA and trends in the agency's budget are useful indicators of the priority of environmental protection at the federal level.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×
Overview of EPA's FY 1995 Budget

EPA's FY 1995 budget totals $5.731 billion. This figure includes $1.510 billion in rescissions enacted by the 104th Congress in the spring of 1995. Originally appropriated FY 1995 budget authority for EPA was $7.241 billion. The largest share of the rescission ($1.302 billion) was taken out of EPA's Water Infrastructure Financing program, which also represents the largest single element of the agency's budget. In the current budget, Water Infrastructure Financing represents 29 percent of EPA's total budget; prior to the rescission, it constituted 41 percent of EPA's budget. The upper portion of Table 1 shows EPA's FY 1995 budget by function, providing one view of its program priorities. (NOTE: All tables and charts are found at the end of this paper.)

As noted above, nearly a third of the agency's budget (down from two-fifths prior to the rescission) is devoted to the Water Infrastructure Financing program which provides support to state and local governments for construction and improvement projects to help meet water quality standards and ensure drinking water safety. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund awards grants to state programs that provide low cost financing to municipalities for sewage treatment projects. The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund offers loans to help governments improve their drinking water systems.

Second to Water Infrastructure in EPA's FY 1995 budget is the "Abatement, Control and Compliance" line under which EPA funds contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements for pollution abatement, control and compliance activities, as well administrative activities, including regulatory enforcement. These programs represent nearly one-fourth of EPA's current funding, a total of $1.405 billion.

Superfund, at $1.331 billion, is EPA's third major budget element in FY 1995, representing 23 percent or almost a quarter of total spending. This program is responsible for cleanup of hazardous waste sites and associated activities. Together, the three top program areas account for more than three-quarters of EPA's budget.

The "Research and Development" line, $335 million in FY 1995, represents less than 6 percent of EPA's budget. This is somewhat misleading, however. The R&D appropriations account finances mainly extramural research through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements with industry, universities, nonprofits, and other federal agencies, as well as some in-house activities. The costs of most in-house R&D (including personnel and related costs) are funded through the "Program and Research Operations" account, and some is included in "Abatement, Control and Compliance.'' In addition, nearly $70 million of R&D is supported through Superfund and smaller amounts of R&D are supported under two other trust funds. Thus, EPA's total R&D in FY 1995 is estimated at $600 million, representing about 10.5 percent of the agency's budget. This is discussed in more detail below.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

The "Program and Research Operations" account, it should be noted, also includes personnel costs and travel expenses associated with administering many other (non-R&D) EPA programs, excluding Superfund, the Water Infrastructure Financing program, and a few other areas.

A somewhat different view of EPA's budget priorities may be gained from the lower portion of Table 1, which displays FY 1995 funding by media. Again, Water Infrastructure Financing stands out, representing more than a quarter of the agency's budget when sliced in this manner. In fact, if one lumps this line together with the "Water Quality" and "Drinking Water" lines, it becomes apparent that water is EPA's dominant concern, at least in dollar terms ($2.148 billion or 37.5 percent of the total). Hazardous waste (combining Superfund and the ''Hazardous Waste" line) comes a close second ($1.623 billion, 28.3 percent), followed by air at just under 10 percent and "multimedia" at 7.6 percent ($438 million). Toxics, pesticides, and radiation account for small fractions. It should be noted that these figures do not include more than $650 million in "Management and Support" costs. The latter should be allocated among the programs and would augment their percentage shares somewhat. Figures 1 and 2 display this information in graphical format.

Trends in EPA's Budget

The FY 1995 rescission, following cuts in FY 1994, has turned EPA's budget trend sharply downward. As it stands now, EPA's FY 1995 budget is actually 4 percent below its level of ten years ago in constant dollars. Table 2 shows this long-term trend over the period FY 1985-1995, and Figures 3 and 4 display EPA's total budget in current and constant dollars over the decade. Table 2 also indicates that EPA's budget has been declining relative to other components of domestic discretionary spending in the federal budget. In FY 1985, EPA's budget represented 2.73 percent of total domestic discretionary spending. This figure peaked at 3.50 percent four years later in FY 1989 and has now declined to 2.67 percent. The table and charts also include the House-passed FY 1996 appropriation level. (As of this writing, the Senate has not yet considered EPA's appropriation.) As can be seen, EPA's budget would take an unprecedented cut under this legislation.

Environmental Programs in Other Federal Agencies
Defining "Environmental Programs"

While EPA is the major focus of environmental concern in the federal government, it does not come close to representing the full extent of federal efforts relating to the environment. Delimiting the federal role in the environment is not a straightforward task. In one sense, nearly everything the federal government

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 1 Environmental Protection Agency Budget for Fiscal Year 1995 (budget authority in millions of dollars)

 

FY 1995a

Percent of EPA Budget

By Function 

Program and Research Operations

922.0

16.1%

Research and Development

334.6

5.8%

Abatement, Control & Compliance

1,404.6

24.5%

Buildings and Facilities

-39.4

Oil Spill Response

20.0

0.3%

Asbestos Loan Program

0.0

0.0%

Hazardous Substance Superfund

1,331.3

23.2%

L.U.S.T. Trust Fundb

70.0

1.2%

Water Infrastructure/State Revolving Funds

1,659.6

29.0%

Other

28.5

0.5%

Total, EPA Budget

5,731.2

 

By Media

Air

558.4

9.7%

Radiation

42.8

0.7%

Water Quality

516.7

9.0%

Drinking Water

163.8

2.9%

Water Infrastructure Financing

1,467.1

25.6%

Pesticides

94.2

1.6%

Toxic Substances

124.9

2.2%

Multimedia

438.1

7.6%

Hazardous Waste

291.6

5.1%

Hazardous Substance Superfund

1,331.3

23.2%

L.U.S.T.b

70.0

1.2%

Oil Spill Response

20.0

0.3%

Management and Support

651.7

11.4%

Buildings and Facilities

-39.4

Total EPA Budget

5,731.2

 

SOURCE: EPA Budget Justification for FY 1996 and text of Public Law 104-19.

a Adjusted to reflect rescissions enacted in Public Law 104-19. These rescissions total $1,509.6 million, of which $1,302.2 million are from Water Infrastructure/SRF. These rescissions are of FY 1995 as well as prior-year funds, but are scored against FY 1995 budget authority. The original FY 1995 budget authority was $7,240.8 million.

b Leaking Underground Storage Tanks.

does, from conducting military operations to shaping national economic policy, has an impact on the environment. In addition, the federal government owns nearly one-third of the land in the United States, holds title to the resources of the outer continental shelf, and manages fisheries and marine mammal populations in waters within 200 miles of the coast (Gramp, Teich, and Nelson 1992, p. 7).

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Figure 1 EPA budget by function, FY 1995.

Figure 2 EPA budget by media, FY 1995.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 2 Environmental Protection Agency Budget (budget authority in billions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1985

FY 1989

FY 1992

FY 1993

FY 1994

FY 1995a

House FY 1996b

EPA budget

4.35

5.08

6.46

6.74

6.44

5.73

4.89

Total domestic discretionary spending

159.3

145.2

209.3

212.3

229.0

214.0

N/A

EPA as % of total domestic discretionaryc

2.73%

3.50%

3.09%

3.17%

2.81%

2.67%

EPA budget (in constant FY 1987 dollars)d

4.61

4.69

5.33

5.43

5.09

4.41

3.66

SOURCE: Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government Fiscal Year 1996 and OMB, Mid-Session Review of the 1996 Budget.

a Adjusted to reflect rescissions enacted in Public Law 104-19.

b Based on House-approved VA-HUD appropriations bill.

c Excludes discretionary spending in defense and international programs.

d Defiated using fiscal year GDP deflators from OMB.

Furthermore, the environment is integral to such federal functions as assisting the agricultural and energy federal sectors, managing the National Parks, predicting the weather, and assisting with natural disaster preparedness and recovery.

Rather than include practically everything the government does under the "environmental" rubric, we have taken a fairly narrow definition of environment, and included federal programs relating to pollution control and abatement, conservation and management of natural resources, and managing policy related to global climate change. This definition is essentially contiguous with the federal government's "Environment and Natural Resources" budget function, except that it excludes finding for reclamation projects, flood control, public lands acquisition, and other land management-oriented programs and it includes NASA environmental programs classified under "General Science and Space" budget function.

The scope includes environmental R&D in the various agencies, but goes well beyond R&d into operational programs. It encompasses activities in at least 12 federal civilian agencies plus the Department of Defense (DOD). Data are presented here for the eight largest among the civilian agencies. DOD (with the exception of the Army Corps of Engineers) is not included because data on its environmental programs were not available in a timely manner. Comments on DOD are included in a few places based on data obtained in the author's 1992 study of federal funding for environmental R&D (Gramp, Teich, and Nelson 1992).

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

FIGURE 3 EPA budget, FYs 1985–1996 (House).

FIGURE 4 EPA budget in constant dollars, FYs 1985–1996 (House).

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×
Budget Trends

Table 3 presents a summary of federal programs in environment and natural resources that fit the definition presented above. The information in the table is based on federal budget documents. The total shown on the table, $22.7 billion in FY 1995, is probably a low-end estimate of the government's total effort relating to the environment. Environmental R&D not included in the data set would add approximately $1 billion to this total (including DOD, the four civilian agencies omitted, and an estimate of environmental health research not covered in this analysis). The total shown represents a bit more than 10 percent of the federal government's total domestic discretionary spending.

Somewhat surprisingly, EPA shows up not at the top of the list but in second place among the agencies whose programs are identified in this table. Ranking first is the Department of Energy, mainly because of its Defense Environmental Restoration program (i.e., the nuclear materials and weapons facilities cleanup), which includes $4.855 billion in non-R&D activities and its nondefense Environmental Restoration and Waste Management program, funded at $723 million in FY 1995. Together, these efforts total $5.578 billion, nearly as much as the entire EPA budget. DOE also conducts a significant amount of environmental R&D, which, together with its other programs, including nuclear waste disposal and uranium enrichment decontamination, bring its total environmental portfolio to more than $7 billion.

Other major players among federal agencies include the Forest Service (within the Department of Agriculture); NASA, with life sciences research and Mission to Planet Earth; and NOAA, among whose programs and agencies are the National Weather Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Ocean Service, and a range of oceanic and atmospheric research programs. Also on the chart are the Departments of the Interior (with just over $1 billion in FY 1995), the National Science Foundation, and R&D conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers. The three-year trend in the bottom line of this table is essentially flat in current dollars, indicating a loss in constant dollars. And it does not take a clairvoyant to see that the trend over the next several years is likely to be even more negative.

FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL R&D

Environmental R&D in Relation to Other Environmental Programs

As discussed in the previous section, the agencies with the largest environmental programs are DOE and EPA. In both of these agencies, environmental R&D is a relatively small part of overall spending for environmental programs. EPA's R&D represents a total of $600 million out of the agency's $5.7 billion budget, about 10.5 percent. DOE's environmental R&D, estimated at $580 million, constitutes only 8 percent of its $7.1 billion in environmental programs,

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 3 Estimate of Environmental Programs in the Federal Government (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993

Est. FY 1994

Est. FY 1995a

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993-95

Environmental Protection Agency

6,737

6,436

5,731

-8%

NASA

1,024

1,255

1,481

20%

Life Sciences (incl. non-terrestrial)

140

187

141

5%

Mission to Planet Earth

884

1,068

1,340

23%

NOAA

1,534

1,796

1,816

9%

National Ocean Service

168

202

180

5%

Nat'l Marine Fisheries Service

223

265

269

10%

Oceanic and Atmospheric Research

202

233

259

13%

National Weather Service

533

683

659

12%

NESDIS

347

351

387

6%

Marine Services

61

63

62

1%

National Science Foundation

594

655

685

7%

Environmental Programs R&D

530

591

622

8%

Non-R&D (logistical support)

63

64

63

-1%

Department of the Interior

945

1,021

1,069

6%

Department of Agricultureb

5,626

5,483

4,459

-11%

Natural Resources Conservation Service

2,021

1,375

837

-36%

Forest Service (non-R&D)

3,259

3,751

3,260

1%

Environmental R&D

345

357

363

2%

Department of Energy

6,612

7,173

7,126

4%

R&D Activities

589

782

580

3%

Environment, Safety and Health

138

105

127

-2%

Nuclear Safety Policy

24

15

17

-11%

Environmental Analysis

12

9

0

-62%

Env. Restor. and Waste Mngmt. (nondefense)

692

673

723

2%

Defense Env. Restoration (non-R&D)

4,580

4,922

4,855

3%

Uranium Enrichment Decontamination

201

286

301

24%

Defense Nuclear Waste Disposal

100

120

129

14%

Nuclear Waste Disposal Fund

275

260

393

23%

Corps of Engineers Environmental R&D

29

31

36

12%

National Institutes of Health

251

259

267

3%

Total Environmental Spending

23,351

24,108

22,670

-1%

SOURCE: Author's estimates based on agency budget justifications. Does not include funds for reclamation projects, flood control, public lands acquisition and other land management-oriented programs.

a FY 1995 figures reflect rescissions of $1.5 billion from EPA's budget and rescissions from NOAA enacted in Public Law 104–19, but do not reflect other rescissions enacted in Public Laws 104–6 and 104–19. Detailed information on other rescissions not available at this time.

b Includes environmental R&D and programs classified as "Natural Resources and Environment."

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

which are dominated by the huge costs of restoring environmental quality in DOE's defense facilities. Elsewhere in the government, however, R&D is a major (or in some cases the major) part of agency environmental programs.

Definition and Overview

An overview of environmental R&D in the federal government is contained in Table 4. Details on the environmental R&D activities of the major federal agencies are shown in Tables 5 through 17. As elsewhere in this paper, these tables do not include information on Department of Defense military activities. The tables show a three-year trend, from FY 1993 through FY 1995. The definition of environmental R&D is largely the same as in the author's previous work on federal funding for environmental R&D:

  • environmental sciences, including (a) environmental life sciences, such as environmental biology, forestry, marine biology, and related fields, and (b) physical environmental sciences, such as oceanography, geology, and atmospheric sciences, excluding extraterrestrial research;

  • engineering and other sciences related to the impacts of natural and anthropogenic activities on the environment, including prevention, control, amelioration, and regulation;

  • social sciences related to the environment, such as environmental economics, and social science research on cultural and institutional factors affecting sustainable development, pollution prevention, adaptation to global change, etc.; and

  • information and data sciences related to the environment, such as computer sciences and specialized information management R&D identified in agency budgets (Gramp, Teich, and Nelson 1992, p. 2).

There are, however, a few differences. The tables in this paper include the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a unit of the National Institutes of Health, which was not included in the 1992 report because the working definition chosen for that report excluded environmental health. They exclude (for reasons of time and resources) several agencies with relatively small environmental R&D portfolios: the Agency for International Development (USAID), the Smithsonian Institution, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the Department of Transportation (DOT).

The coverage of those agencies included is generally analogous to that in the 1992 report. However, because of organizational changes and changes in budget presentation, as well as possible inconsistencies in data collection techniques, the data from the 1992 tables, which cover FY 1990–1992, have not been integrated with the FY 1993–1995 data collected for this paper. To allow readers to gain a rough sense of the trends over six years, the tables from the 1992 report are

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 4 Estimate of Total Environmental R&D (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993

Est. FY 1994

Est. FY 1995a

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

National Aeronautics and Space Admin.

967

1,152

1,402

20%

Department of Energy

589

782

580

3%

National Science Foundation

530

591

622

8%

Department of the Interior

546

568

569

2%

USGS

353

365

357

0%

Other

193

204

212

5%

Department of Agriculture

345

357

363

2%

ARS

127

134

142

5%

CSRS

105

102

99

-3%

Forest Service

104

111

114

5%

ERS

10

9

9

-5%

Environmental Protection Agencya

497

588

600

10%

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.a

357

443

447

13%

AIDb

N/A

N/A

N/A

Smithsonianc

N/A

N/A

N/A

TVAd

N/A

N/A

N/A

Corps of Engineers

29

31

36

12%

Transportatione

N/A

N/A

N/A

National Institutes of Health

251

259

267

3%

Department of Defensef

N/A

N/A

N/A

Total Environmental R&D

4,111

4,771

4,885

9%

SOURCE: Author's estimate based on agency budget justification and other supporting documents.

a Does not reflect rescissions enacted in FY 1995 except for NOAA and EPA (see agency tables). Detailed information on rescissions in other agencies not available at this time.

b FY 1992 level for AID was $45 million.

c FY 1992 level for Smithsonian was $33 million.

d FY 1992 level for TVA was $31 million.

e FY 1992 level for DOT was $17 million.

f FY 1992 level for DOD was $577 million.

N/A = Data not available at this time.

included as Appendix A. The appendix tables also provide information on environmental research in DOD, not available for the more recent years. In FY 1992, DOD spent $577 million on environmental R&D, representing about 13 percent of the total federal investment in environmental R&D in that year. Adding this amount, about $100 million for the agencies with smaller environmental R&D programs, and about $400 million for environmental health not included suggests that data here understate overall federal spending on environmental R&D in FY 1995 by a bit over $1 billion.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×
Agency Highlights

The leading agency in environmental R&D—at least in terms of budget levels in FY 1995—is NASA, which is expected to spend $1.4 billion, the largest share of which will go to its Earth Observing System (EOS). Details are shown in Table 5. NASA's capabilities in space transportation provide it with the means for conducting important large-scale research on the earth's atmosphere and surface. The nature of these studies, and their context within a large and costly space program, make them the most expensive single element of federal environmental R&D. While some of the work relates to pollution control and abatement, the largest share is devoted to aspects of global change and other large-scale atmospheric, oceanic, and geologic processes. NASA's environmental R&D has grown at an average annual rate of 20 percent since FY 1993, although this is not likely to be sustained in coming years.

DOE (shown in Table 6) supports a wide range of environmental R&D, most of it associated with mitigation of the effects of energy production on the environment. Environmental restoration and waste management R&D, part of the much larger environmental restoration effort comprises the greatest share. Clean coal technology has also been a major focus of DOE's work, although it was sharply reduced in FY 1995. DOE's research also contributes to the national effort on global change through studies of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, conducted mainly at national laboratories and universities. DOE's environmental R&D programs total $580 million in FY 1995, down about $200 million from FY 1994.

Basic research on the environment is the province of NSF, whose efforts total some $622 million in FY 1995 and have grown at a rate of 8 percent a year over the FY 1993–1995 period. (See Table 7.) Most of these efforts are in environmental sciences, including ecology and environmental biology, ocean sciences, atmospheric sciences, earth sciences, and polar programs. NSF also funds social science research related to global change as well as engineering research in a number of environmental areas, including earthquake hazard mitigation. NSF funds most of its environmental research through investigator-initiated grants to academic researchers and in FY 1992 NSF was responsible for nearly half of federal grant funding for environmental R&D (Gramp, Teich, and Nelson 1992, p. 26).

The Department of the Interior is another key source of support for environmental R&D, as shown in Tables 8 and 9. The U.S. Geological Survey, whose long-standing mandate is to classify and analyze the nation's water, mineral, energy, and other geologic resources, also conducts work on water quality, nuclear waste, energy development, natural hazards, and global change. Other agencies in the Interior Department that conduct environmental R&D include the National Biological Service, Bureau of Mines, Minerals Management Service, and National Park Service. Interior's environmental R&D programs total nearly $570 million.

Environmental research is supported by many units of the Department of

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 5 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)a

 

Actual FY 1993

Actual FY 1994

Est. FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Sciences

Earth Observing System (EOS)

264

393

591

50%

Earth Probes

99

96

82

-9%

Payload and Instrument Development

35

26

20

-26%

Mission Operations and Data Analysis

94

98

97

1%

Airborne Science and Applications

21

25

26

12%

Interdisciplinary Analysis

4

5

42

376%

Process Studies

119

126

118

-0%

Modelling and Data Analysis

43

44

42

-1%

Ocean Color Data

16

3

1

-73%

Life Sciences, Research and Analysis

53

55

51

-2%

Construction of Facilities, Global Change

0

12

17

Estimated Intramural Research

70

75

80

6%

Subtotal

818

958

1165

19%

Information and Data R&D

EOS Data and Information Systems

131

188

231

33%

CIESINb

18

5

6

-26%

Subtotal

149

193

237

26%

Total, NASA Environmental R&D

967

1,152

1,402

20%

SOURCE: Author's estimate based on agency budget justification and cross-cut by field of science.

a These estimates exclude funding for environmental sciences in NASA's planetary and commercial applications programs.

b Consortium for International Earth Science Information Networks.

Agriculture (USDA), as shown in Tables 10 through 13, which include the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSRESS), the Economic Research Service (ERS), and the Forest Service (FS). Together, these units bring the USDA total to $364 million. ARS, nearly all of whose work is done in house, represents almost 40 percent of this total. Its major foci include soil and soil-water relationships, as well as environmental biology and ecology. Other ARS studies relate to water conservation, watershed management, and pollution issues relating to agriculture. CSRESS provides nearly $100 million for grants on e environmental issues associated with agriculture. These include both formula and competitive grants. Research related to management of publicly owned national forests and rangelands, including over 12 million acres of wetlands, is carried out by the Forest Service, whose expenditures on environmental R&D totaled $114 million in FY 1995.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 6 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Energy (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993

Actual FY 1994

Actual FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Sciences

Atmospheric Science

12

13

13

4%

Marine Transport

7

7

7

-1%

Terrestrial Transport

18

18

19

2%

Ecosystem Functioning and Response

7

4

6

-2%

CO2, Core Program

19

16

22

9%

CO2, CHAMMPa

11

10

10

-3%

CO2, Atmospheric Radiation Measurement

31

34

30

-0%

CO2, Oceans Research

5

5

4

-9%

CO2, Nat'l Institute for Global Env. Change

11

11

11

2%

CO2, Education

3

3

3

-7%

Basic Energy Sciences, Geosciences

20

19

19

-0%

Bonneville Power, Fish and Wildlifeb

1

1

1

13%

Subtotal

145

142

146

0%

Social Sciences

CO2, Global Change Integrated Assessmt.

2

2

3

39%

Engineering and Related R&D

Clean Coal Technology Program

0

222

37

Atomic Defense Env. Waste and Restoration

248

248

238

-2%

Coal Environmental Research

186

166

154

-9%

Oil Shale Research

5

0

0

Subtotal

440

635

429

6%

Information and Data R&D

CO2, Information and Integration

2

2

2

-8%

Total, DOE Environmental R&D

589

782

580

3%

SOURCE: Author's estimate based on agency budget justification.

a Computer Hardware, Advanced Math and Model Physics program.

b Represents obligational authority financed by Bonneville Power Administration ratepayers.

The distribution of EPA's R&D budget by media, adding up to $600 million in FY 1995, is shown in Table 14: In contrast to the agency's overall budget in which expenditures for water quality and drinking water dominate, multimedia R&D, at $329 million, is the largest area of R&D at EPA, followed by air quality and Superfund (hazardous waste). The shift of resources into multimedia R&D is an important and relatively recent development. Until about five years ago, the agency's research agenda was largely reactive, focusing on areas dictated by various

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 7 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the National Science Foundation (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993

Actual FY 1994

Est. FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Sciences

BIO, Ecological Studies

24

27

28

8%

BIO, Systematics and Population Biology

22

22

24

5%

BIO, Long-Term Environmental Biology

24

25

26

4%

BIO, Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis

1

1

2

50%

GEO, Ocean Sciences Research Support

92

99

103

6%

GEO, Oceanographic Centers and Facilities

52

51

51

-1%

GEO, Ocean Drilling Program

36

39

40

5%

GEO, Atmospheric Sciences Research Support

69

82

85

11%

GEO, National Ctr. for Atmospheric Research

50

53

58

8%

GEO, Earth Sciences Project Support

52

53

54

3%

GEO, Instrumentation and Facilities

18

21

20

7%

GEO, Continental Dynamics

6

7

7

8%

MPS, Environment and Global Change

0

14

18

1319%

U.S. Polar Programs

50

57

56

6%

Subtotal

496

550

574

8%

Social Sciences

SBE, Environment and Global Change

12

17

21

33%

Subtotal

12

17

21

33%

Engineering and Related R&D

ENG, Environmental and Ocean Systems

6

6

7

10%

ENG, Natural and Tech. Hazard Mitigation

3

3

3

5%

ENG, Earthquake Hazard Mitigation

14

15

17

11%

Subtotal

22

24

27

10%

Total, NSF Environmental R&D

530

591

622

8%

SOURCE: Author's estimate based on agency budget data and cross-cut by field of science.

NOTE: NSF directorates include Biological Sciences (BIO), Geosciences (GEO), Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBE), and Engineering (ENG).

environmental statutes. As described in a recent AAAS report, EPA has sought to redirect its research program to ''support both near-term studies needed by regulatory offices and the longer-term research needed to resolve scientific uncertainties about the interrelationships among environmental problems and their efforts on ecological and human communities (AAAS 1995, p. 123). A more complete description of EPA's R&D program is contained in Appendix B.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 8 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993

Actual FY 1994

Est. FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Sciences

Global/Climate Change

11

11

10

-5%

Marine and Coastal Surveys

37

36

36

-1%

Earthquake Hazards

50

54

49

-0%

Volcano Hazards

20

20

20

-0%

Landslide Hazards

2

2

2

-0%

Water Resources Research Programa

60

75

79

15%

Water Research Grants

6

6

4

-11%

Mineral Resource Surveys

48

47

45

-4%

Energy Resource Surveys

27

26

25

-3%

Geomagnetism

2

2

2

-1%

Deep continental studies

3

3

3

0%

Subtotal

266

281

275

2%

Information and Data R&D

National Geologic Mapping

22

23

22

-0%

Research and Technologyb

12

11

12

0%

Advanced Cartography

7

6

4

-18%

Federal-State Water Program, Data/Analysis

24

24

24

-1%

Water Data Collection and Analysis

22

20

21

-4%

Subtotal

87

84

82

-3%

Total, USGS Environmental R&D

353

365

357

0%

SOURCE: Author's estimate based on agency R&D cross-cut.

a Incorporates programs in Regional Aquifer System Analysis, Core Hydrologic Research, Water Resources Assessment, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Acid Rain, Global Change Hydrology, Truckee-Carson Program, and National Water Quality Assessment Program.

b Incorporates programs in Cartographic and Geographic Research, Nat'l Cartographic Requirements Coordination and Standards, and Geographic and Spatial Information Analysis.

Research on climate and weather, on marine sciences, on coastal and ocean management, and on fisheries is conducted by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a unit of the Department of Commerce. NOAA's environmental research totals $447 million. The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) is responsible for much of this work, and its efforts include NOAA's contributions to the interagency Global Change Research Program as well as studies called for by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Other units involved are the National Ocean Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. NOAA's R&D program is presented in Table 15.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 9 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of the Interior, Other Agencies (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993

Actual FY 1994

Actual FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Sciences

NBS, Population Dynamicsa

15

14

14

-3%

NBS, Ecosystems

47

47

49

2%

NBS, Cooperative Research Units

18

15

15

-9%

NBS, Research Center Maintenance

15

16

17

6%

National Park Service

20

24

19

1%

Bureau of Land Management

0

0

2

84%

Bureau of Reclamation, Global Change

1

1

0

-24%

Subtotal

117

118

116

-0%

Social Sciences

Office of the Secretary

0

0

0

-55%

Engineering and Related R&D

Bureau of Mines

17

21

32

37%

Minerals Management Service

6

20

22

115%

Bureau of Reclamation

8

9

6

-11%

Subtotal

31

50

59

39%

Information and Data R&D

NBS, Inventory and Monitoring

31

22

22

-14%

NBS, Information Transfer

15

14

14

-0%

Subtotal

45

35

36

-9%

Total, DOI, Other Agencies' Env. R&D

193

204

212

5%

SOURCE: Author's estimates based on agency budget justification and R&D cross-cuts.

a National Biological Service. Some R&D activities of other agencies were transferred to NBS in FY 1994. FY 1993 totals have been adjusted for comparability.

The Army Corps of Engineers contributes a small, but important, component of the federal government's environmental R&D. Its programs, which are mainly in engineering and total $36 million in FY 1995, are shown in Table 16. They include modest efforts in coastal engineering, in flood control and navigation, in aquatic plant control, and a variety of other areas.

The budget for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which totals $267 million is shown in Table 17. In 1992, total environmental health R&D in the federal government was estimated at about $700 million. This figure included activities at NIEHS as well as environmental health R&D in the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, the

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 10 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)a

 

Actual FY 1993

Est. FY 1994

Est. FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Sciences

Appraisal of Soil Resources

2

2

2

 

Soil, Plant Water Nutrient Relationships

33

35

37

 

Management of Saline Soils

2

2

3

 

Alternative Uses of Land

0

0

0

 

Improvement of Range Resources

7

7

8

 

Wildlife and Fish Ecology

5

5

5

 

Environmental Biology

14

15

16

 

Subtotal

63

67

70

5%

Engineering and Related R&D

Conservation and Efficient Use of Water

13

14

14

 

Efficient Drainage and Irrigation Systems

5

5

5

 

Watershed Protection and Management

20

21

22

 

Protection from Pollution

4

4

4

 

Alleviation of Pollution

19

20

21

 

Subtotal

60

63

67

5%

Information and Data R&D

Remote Sensing

4

4

4

5%

Total, ARS Environmental R&D

127

134

142

5‰

SOURCE: Authors' estimates.

a ARS budget authority has been projected based on 1993 data in the Current Research Information System for goals pertaining to the environment and for environmental sciences research supporting other goals.

Department of Energy, and EPA. Except for NIEHS and EPA, none of this R&D is included in this paper.

Environmental R&D in the Context of Overall Federal R&D

Environmental R&D is a relatively small component of total federal R&D. According to NSF figures, in FY 1985, R&D devoted to the "environment and natural resources" budget function represented 2.1 percent of total federal R&D and 6.5 percent of nondefense R&D. By FY 1994, with defense R&D shrinking and health and space research growing, environmental and natural resources R&D had risen to 2.7 percent of total R&D, but declined to 6.0 percent of nondefense

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 11 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993a

Est. FY 1994a

Est. FY 1995a

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Sciences

Special Grants

13

11

9

-16%

Competitive Grants

21

22

22

3%

Hatch/Agricultural Experiment Stations

20

21

21

0%

Cooperative Forestry

3

3

3

6%

1890 Colleges and Tuskegee

3

3

3

1%

Animal Health

*

*

*

0%

Subtotal

59

59

57

-2%

Social Sciences

Special Grants

1

0

0

-16%

Competitive Grants

2

2

2

3%

Hatch/Agricultural Experiment Stations

6

7

7

0%

Cooperative Forestry

5

6

6

6%

1890 Colleges and Tuskegee

*

*

*

1%

Subtotal

14

15

15

2%

Engineering and Related R&D

Special Grants

16

13

11

-16%

Competitive Grants

5

5

5

3%

Hatch/Agricultural Experiment Stations

10

10

10

0%

Cooperative Forestry

0

0

0

6%

1890 Colleges and Tuskegee

*

*

*

1%

Animal Health

*

*

*

0%

Subtotal

31

29

27

-7%

Total, CSREES Environmental R&D

105

102

99

-3%

SOURCE: Author's estimates.

* Less than $500,000.

a CSRS budget authority has been projected based on 1993 data in the Current Research Information System for goals pertaining to the environment and for environmental sciences research supporting other goals.

R&D (NSB 1993, table 4–26). AAAS's federal budget data indicate that in the post-rescission FY 1995 budget, environment and natural resources constitutes 6.2 percent of nondefense R&D.

To gain a sense of the scale of environmental research compared to other areas of research in various agencies, one can compare the figures for environmental

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table 12 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)a

 

Actual FY 1993

Est. FY 1994

Est. FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Social Sciences

Natural Resource Management

10

9

9

-5%

Total, ERS Environmental R&D

10

9

9

-5%

SOURCE: Author's estimates.

a ERS budget authority has been projected based on 1993 data in the Current Research Information System for goals pertaining to the environment and for environmental sciences research supporting other goals.

Table 13 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)a

 

Actual FY 1993

Est. FY 1994

Est. FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Sciences

All Forest Service Env. Sciences

75

81

82

 

Subtotal

75

81

82

5%

Social Sciences

Economics of Timber Production

3

3

3

 

Subtotal

3

3

3

5%

Engineering and Related R&D

Protection from Pollution

8

9

9

 

Alleviation of Pollution

3

4

4

 

Watershed Protection and Management

14

15

16

 

Subtotal

26

28

28

5%

Total, FS Environmental R&D

104

111

114

5%

SOURCE: Author's estimates.

a FS budget authority has been projected based on 1993 data in the Current Research Information System for goals pertaining to the environment and for environmental sciences research supporting other goals.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table 14 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Environmental Protection Agency (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993

Est. FY 1994

Est. FY 1995a

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

By Media

Multimedia

164

265

329

43%

Air Quality

87

86

79

-5%

Acid Deposition

16

10

2

-58%

Global Change

24

31

23

0%

Water Quality

30

27

22

-13%

Drinking Water

19

20

22

7%

Hazardous Waste

38

31

27

-17%

Pesticides

14

13

14

-2%

Toxic Substances

27

22

18

-17%

Management

6

6

7

11%

Buildings and Facilities

3

5

0

-5%

Rescission from FY 1995:

-15

 

 

 

Trust Funds

Superfund

65

70

67

2%

Leaking Underground Storage Tanks

0

0

0

2%

Oil Spill Response

2

2

2

-7%

Total EPA Environmental R&D

497

588

600

10%

Source: Author's estimates based on agency budget justification, R&D cross-cuts, and other supporting documents. Includes R&D management support, environmental health R&D, and other environmental R&D.

a Adjusted to reflect rescissions enacted in Public Law 104-19.

R&D by agency in Table 4 to the overall R&D budgets of these agencies. These overall R&D budgets are shown in a table drawn from the most recent AAAS R&D Report and included in Appendix C. As might be expected, these figures vary widely. At one extreme is EPA, where 100 percent of the agency's R&D is (not surprisingly) classified as environmental. At the other is NIH, where the environmental research in the relatively small NIEHS comprises only 2.5 percent of NIH's total R&D. Others at the high end include the Department of the Interior (83 percent), NOAA (76 percent), and the Corps of Engineers (66 percent), while those at the low end include NASA (14 percent), DOE (9 percent), and NSF and USDA (each at 24 percent). Although FY 1995 data for DOD are not available, FY 1992 figures indicate that environmental research makes up something like 1 percent of DOD's R&D portfolio.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 15 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)a

 

Actual FY 1993

Actual FY 1994

Est.b FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993-95

Environmental Sciences

OAR, Climate and Global Change

43

64

57

19%

OAR, Weather Research

27

42

41

28%

OAR, Long-Term Climate and Air Quality

22

27

33

22%

OAR, Interannual/Seasonal

7

7

7

-3%

OAR, Marine Prediction

18

18

18

1%

OAR, Sea Grant/Env. Sciences

12

19

25

43%

OAR, Undersea Research

8

21

16

69%

NWS, National Weather Service

28

48

33

19%

NOS, Observation and Prediction

2

0

0

-26%

NOS, Estuarine and Coastal Assessment

0

0

0—

NOS, Coastal Ocean Science

13

12

9

-14%

NOS, Coastal Management

0

2

2

72%

NOS, Ocean Management

0

0

0

9%

NMFS, Fisheries Resource Information

90

92

102

6%

NMFS, Fishery Information Analysis

21

22

26

11%

NMFS, Protected Species Management

11

11

11

-0%

NMFS, Marine Fisheries Grants to States

6

6

9

27%

NMFS, Fisheries Development

16

17

17

3%

Subtotal

326

409

408

13%

Social Sciences

OAR, Sea Grant

1

1

1

0%

NMFS, Fisheries Industry Information

18

19

22

12%

Subtotal

19

20

23

11%

Engineering and Related R&D

OAR, Sea Grant

 

2

2

2

Information and Data R&D

NOS, Geodesy

2

0

0

-32%

NOS, Mapping and Charting

0

4

4

435%

National Env. Data and Information Service

8

8

8

4%

Subtotal

10

12

13

12%

Total, NOAA Environmental R&D

357

443

447

13%

SOURCE: Author's estimate based on agency R&D cross-cut and budget justification.

a Agencies within NOAA include Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Weather Service (NWS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the National Environmental Data and Information Service.

b Adjusted to reflect rescissions enacted in Public Law 104-19.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 16 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Corps of Engineers (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993

Actual FY 1994

Est. FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Sciences

Long-Term Env. Effects of Dredging

1

1

1

8%

Social Sciences

Economic Impact of Global Warming

0

0

0

-42%

Risk Analysis

1

1

2

10%

Subtotal

2

1

2

2%

Engineering and Related R&D

Coastal Engineering

6

4

6

9%

Flood Control and Navigation

4

4

5

19%

Environmental Quality

3

2

4

33%

Water Resource Planning

0

0

0

-2%

Aquatic Plant Control

3

6

7

47%

Wetlands Research

7

5

0

62%

Coastal Inlet Research

0

3

4

River Confluence Ice Research

0

0

1

Zebra Mussel Control

1

2

2

42%

Oil Spill Research

0

0

0

Subtotal

24

28

31

13%

Information and Data R&D

Surveying and Remote Sensing

2

1

2

24%

Total, Corps of Engineers Env. R&D

29

31

36

12%

 

SOURCE: Author's estimate based on agency budget justification and related data.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNDING AND NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS: CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK

A quick look at Tables 3 and 4 demonstrates the pitfalls of judging the priority of environmental programs simply by looking at budget numbers. In strict dollar terms, the leading agency is the Department of Energy at $7.1 billion (out of total of $22.7 billion), the largest share of which is for defense environmental restoration. In second place is EPA ($5.7 billion) whose budget, as noted above, is dominated by Water Infrastructure Financing and Superfund—i.e., sewage treatment grants and hazardous waste site cleanup. Following are Agriculture, Interior, NOAA, and NASA. The picture is a bit different in environmental R&D

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

TABLE 17 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the National Institutes of Health (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

Actual FY 1993

Est. FY 1994

Est. FY 1995

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1993–95

Environmental Health Sciences

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

251

259

267

3%

Subtotal

251

259

267

3%

Total NIH Environmental R&D

251

259

267

3%

 

SOURCE: Author's estimate based on agency budget justification.

(Table 4), where NASA dominates, spending more than a quarter of the federal government's resources for environmental R&D.

These are the areas in which the federal government is investing the largest shares of the money devoted to environmental programs. They are certainly important to the future of the nation and its environment. Few would argue, however, that these are the nation's top environmental priorities or that this distribution corresponds in any meaningful way to virtually anyone's statement of environmental goals.

To get out of this trap, one first of all needs much more fine-grained data on environmental programs so as to allow one to associate the programs with particular goals. Even more importantly, one needs to look beyond the raw numbers at such issues as the relative costs of achieving different goals, the role of the federal government relative to other actors for various goals, and the availability of technical means to achieve the goals. The issue then becomes not simply the level of spending for each of the various programs, but the sufficiency of the budgetary level relative to the estimated cost of achieving the goal and federal role in its achievement. Such an analysis, unfortunately, is well beyond the means available for this paper.

A glimpse at how one might begin such an analysis, however, might be gained from a look at the author's 1992 study (Gramp, Teich, and Nelson 1992). That study took a preliminary look at federal environmental R&D priorities by breaking down and reaggregating the data by scientific and engineering focus. Of the $4.5 billion in federal environmental R&D identified in that study, the bulk ($3.1 billion) was estimated to support R&D in the environmental sciences. About 70 percent of that amount ($2.2 billion) involved fields such as oceanography, geology, chemistry, and atmospheric sciences, while the balance ($0.9 billion) went to environmental life sciences, including environmental biology, forestry, biology, and marine biology.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Engineering and other R&D related to environmental impacts of anthropogenic and natural activities accounted for $1.2 billion; a large share of this went to mitigation efforts related to fossil-fuel consumption. The smallest component of environmental R&D identified in the 1992 study was social sciences, which came in at $41 million. Also modest in financial terms was the total for information and data systems, some $0.2 billion, much of it related to space-borne observing platforms and global change studies.

These data in themselves do not answer questions about goals and priorities, but they do point to a means whereby financial data can be related to arrays of environmental goals, such as those identified by the National Science and Technology Council's Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

REFERENCES

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Intersociety Working Group, AAAS Report XX: Research and Development, FY 1996 (Washington, D.C.: 1995).


Kathleen M. Gramp, Albert H. Teich, and Stephen D. Nelson, Federal Funding for Environmental R&D: A Special Report (Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1992).


National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators—1993. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993). (NSB-93-1).

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

APPENDIX A

From: Kathleen M. Gramp, Albert H. Teich, and Stephen D. Nelson, Federal Funding for Environmental R&D: A Special Report (Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1992), pp. 20–26 and 55–68.

Overview Tables

Table I-1. Estimate of Federal Funding For Environmental R&D by Agency1 (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

Agency for International Development

43

38

45

2%

USDA, Agricultural Research Service

129

144

162

12%

USDA, Cooperative State Research Service

87

107

119

17%

USDA, Economic Research Service

6

6

7

14%

USDA, Forest Service

89

106

115

14%

Corps of Engineers

19

22

27

20%

Department of Defense (military)

445

599

577

14%

Department of Energy

882

709

799

5%

Environmental Protection Agency

307

307

347

6%

DOI, Fish and Wildlife Service

71

82

85

9%

DOI, Geological Survey

310

360

367

9%

DOI, Other Agencies

42

59

72

30%

National Aeronautics and Space Admin.

575

735

826

20%

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.

250

290

319

13%

National Science Foundation

440

492

541

11%

Smithsonian Institution

27

31

33

11%

Tennessee Valley Authority

19

25

31

27%

Department of Transportation

9

10

17

40%

Total, Environmental R&D

3,748

4,121

4,489

9%

Defense2

632

768

801

13%

Nondefense

3,116

3,353

3,687

9%

Source: Authors' Estimates.

1 Excludes administrative overhead and R&D related to environmental health.

2 Defense includes Department of Defense and the Department of Energy's Atomic Energy Defense Programs.

Table I-2. Environmental and Other Nondefense R&D by Character of Work, FY 1992 (budget authority in billions of dollars)

 

Nondefense Env. R&D1

All Other Nondefense

Total Nondefense

Basic Research

1.4

10.7

12.1

Applied Research

1.3

7.6

8.9

Subtotal, Research

2.7

18.3

21.0

Development

0.9

6.4

7.3

R&D Facilities

0.1

2.2

2.2

Total, Nondefense R&D

3.7

26.9

30.6

Source: Authors' estimates based on AAAS Report XXVII, Research and Development FY 1993 (AAAS, March 1992).

1 Excludes administrative overhead and R&D related to environmental health.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table I-3. Estimate of Environmental R&D by Agency Mission1 (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990-92

RESEARCH AGENCIES

National Aeronautics and Space Admin.

575

735

826

20%

National Science Foundation

440

492

541

11%

DOI, Geological Survey

310

360

367

9%

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.2

136

166

184

16%

Smithsonian Institution

27

31

33

11%

Subtotal

1,487

1,784

1,951

15%

SECTOR-SPECIFIC AGENCIES

Department of Energy

882

709

799

-5%

Department of Defense (military)

445

599

577

14%

USDA, Agricultural Research Service

129

144

162

12%

USDA, Cooperative State Research Service

87

107

119

17%

USDA, Economic Research Service

6

6

7

14%

Agency for International Development

43

38

45

2%

Tennessee Valley Authority

19

25

31

27%

Bureau of Mines

15

19

18

10%

Department of Transportation

9

10

17

40%

Subtotal

1,635

1,653

1,775

4%

MANAGEMENT AGENCIES

Environmental Protection Agency

307

307

347

6%

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.3

113

124

135

9%

USDA, Forest Service

89

106

115

13%

DOI, Fish and Wildlife Service

71

82

85

9%

DOI, Other Agencies

27

40

54

40%

Corps of Engineers

19

22

27

20%

Subtotal

627

679

763

10%

Total, Environmental R&D

3,748

4,121

4,489

9%

Source: Authors' estimates.

1 Excludes administrative overhead and R&D related to environmental health.

2 Includes Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Weather Service, and National Environmental Data and Information Service.

3 Includes National Marine Fisheries Service and National Ocean Service.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table I-4. Estimate of Distribution of Environmental R&D by Field and Agency, FY 19921 (budget authority in millions of dollars)

 

Environmental Sciences

Engineering & Related R&D

Social Sciences

Information & Data

Total

AID

31

5

9

0

45

USDA

324

61

16

3

403

Corps

1

23

1

2

27

DOD (military)

432

146

0

0

577

DOE

129

667

1

2

799

EPA

190

149

1

8

347

DOI

406

31

*

86

524

NASA

718

0

0

108

826

NOAA

305

2

1

11

319

NSF

503

26

12

0

541

Smithsonian

33

0

*

0

33

TVA

0

31

0

0

31

DOT

0

17

0

0

17

Total, Environ. R&D

3,072

1,156

41

219

4,489

Defense2

432

370

0

0

801

Nondefense

2,641

786

41

219

3,687

Estimated Research3

2,533

388

39

147

3,107

Source: Authors' estimates.

* Less than $500,000.

1 Excludes administrative overhead and R&D related to environmental health.

2 Defense includes Department of Defense and the Department of Energy's Atomic Energy Defense Programs .

3 Basic and applied research.

Table I-5. Estimate of Federal Funding for R&D in Physical Environmental Sciences (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

Agency for International Development

5

3

4

-15%

USDA, Agricultural Research Service

13

15

17

16%

USDA, Forest Service

10

10

10

2%

Department of Defense (military)

411

448

429

2%

Department of Energy

90

105

117

14%

Environmental Protection Agency

81

74

105

14%

DOI, Geological Survey

239

273

281

8%

DOI, Bureau of Reclamation

0

2

3

--

National Aeronautics and Space Admin.

507

603

632

12%

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.

117

146

163

18%

National Science Foundation

320

362

398

11%

Smithsonian Institution

0

1

1

--

Total, Physical Environmental Sciences

1,793

2,044

2,160

10%

 

Source: Authors' estimates.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table I-6. Estimate of Federal Funding for Environmental Life Sciences R&D1 (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1 991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

Agency for International Development

28

26

27

-2%

USDA, Agricultural Research Service

87

95

104

9%

USDA, Cooperative State Research Service

71

90

99

18%

USDA, Forest Service

72

87

93

14%

Corps of Engineers

1

1

1

0%

Department of Defense (military)

2

2

3

20%

Department of Energy

14

12

12

-8%

Environmental Protection Agency

69

74

84

10%

DOI, Fish and Wildlife Service

71

82

85

9%

DOI, National Park Service

18

23

27

22%

DOI, Bureau of Land Management

3

5

11

89%

National Aeronautics and Space Admin.

60

88

86

20%

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.

121

131

142

9%

National Science Foundation

90

98

106

8%

Smithsonian Institution

27

30

32

10%

Total, Environmental Life Sciences

734

844

912

11%

Source: Author's estimates.

1 Includes all life sciences in environmental programs, including biology, environmental biology, marine biology, forestry, etc.

Table I-7. Estimate of federal Funding for Engineering and Other R&D Related to Environmental Impacts (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

Agency for International Development

2

2

5

56%

USDA, Agricultural Research Service

29

33

38

15%

USDA, Cooperative State Research Service

13

15

17

11%

USDA, Forest Service

6

6

6

2%

Corps of Engineers

17

19

23

17%

Department of Defense (military)

32

149

146

114%

Department of Energy

774

590

667

-7%

Environmental Protection Agency

157

154

149

-2%

DOI, Other Agencies

22

28

31

20%

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.

2

2

2

3%

National Science Foundation

24

24

26

3%

Tennessee Valley Authority

19

25

31

27%

Department of Transportation

9

10

17

40%

Total, Engineering and Related R&D

1,103

1,055

1,156

2%

 

Source: Authors' estimates.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table I-8. Estimate of Federal Funding for Social Sciences R&D Related to the Environment (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

Agency for International Development

7.0

7.1

8.7

11%

USDA, Cooperative State Research Service

2.7

2.9

3.2

8%

USDA, Economic Research Service

5.7

6.1

7.4

14%

USDA, Forest Service

1.9

2.0

5.1

62%

Corps of Engineers

0.0

0.0

1.4

--

Department of Energy

2.0

0.0

0.9

-33%

Environmental Protection Agency

0.0

0.5

0.5

--

DOI, Other Agencies

0.0

0.1

0.2

--

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.

0.9

0.9

1.5

26%

National Science Foundation

4.8

8.0

12.2

60%

Smithsonian Institution

0.0

0.1

0.3

--

Total, Social Sciences R&D

25.1

27.8

41.4

28%

 

Source: Authors' estimates.

Table I-9. Estimate of Federal Funding for Information and Data R&D Related to the Environment (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

USDA, Agricultural Research Service

1

1

2

46%

USDA, Forest Service

0

1

1

--

Corps of Engineers

1

2

2

22%

Department of Energy

2

2

2

0%

Environmental Protection Agency

0

4

8

--

DOI, Geological Survey

71

86

86

11%

National Aeronautics and Space Admin.

8

44

108

267%

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.

10

11

11

5%

Total, Information and Data R&D

92

150

219

54%

 

Source: Authors' estimates.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table I-10. Estimate of Environmental R&D by Agency and Character of Work, FY 19921 (budget authority in millions of dollars)

 

Basic

Applied

Development

Facilities

Total

AID

1

39

4

0

45

USDA, ARS

82

60

10

10

162

USDA, CSRS

55

64

0

0

119

USDA, ERS

1

6

0

0

7

USDA, FS

44

68

3

0

115

Corps

3

10

14

0

27

DOD (military)

167

171

240

0

577

DOE

133

118

513

34

799

EPA

73

196

79

0

347

DOI, FWS

6

66

13

0

85

DOI, USGS

180

165

18

4

367

DOI, Other

7

58

5

1

72

NASA

224

244

309

49

826

NOAA

0

286

33

0

319

NSF

516

18

0

8

541

Smithsonian

33

0

0

0

33

TVA

3

5

23

0

31

DOT

0

6

11

0

17

Total, Environmental R&D

1,528

1,580

1,275

106

4,489

Defense2

167

256

344

34

801

Nondefense

1,360

1,324

931

72

72

Source: Authors' estimates.

1 Excludes administrative overhead and R&D related to environmental health.

2 Defense includes Department of Defense and the Department of Energy's Atomic Energy Defense Programs.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table I-11. Estimate of Environmental R&D by Agency and Performer, FY 19921 (budget authority in millions of dollars)

 

Federal Agencies

Colleges & Universities

Other Extramural

Total

Agency for International Development

2

12

30

45

USDA, Agricultural Research Service

160

0

2

162

USDA, Cooperative State Research Service

0

115

4

119

USDA, Economic Research Service

7

*

0

7

USDA, Forest Service

104

9

2

115

Corps of Engineers

13

2

11

27

Department of Defense (military)

173

130

275

577

Department of Energy

26

60

713

799

Environmental Protection Agency

84

53

211

347

DOI, Fish and Wildlife Service

77

8

0

85

DOI, Geological Survey

325

26

16

367

DOI, Other Agencies

50

12

10

72

National Aeronautics and Space Admin.

150

81

595

826

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.

250

55

15

319

National Science Foundation

4

405

132

541

Smithsonian Institution

33

0

0

33

Tennessee Valley Authority

17

*

14

31

Department of Transportation

7

2

8

17

Total, Environmental R&D

1,481

971

2,037

4,489

Defense2

189

130

482

801

Nondefense

1,292

841

1,554

3,687

Source: Author's estimates derived by applying agency trends to environmental programs. These figures represent general trends, and should not be viewed as exact amounts.

* Less than $500,000.

1 Excludes administrative overhead and R&D related to environmental health.

2 Defense includes Department of Defense and the Department of Energy's Atomic Energy Defense Programs.

Table I-12. Estimate of Federal Grant Funding for Environmental R&D, FY 19921 (budget authority in millions of dollars)

 

Estimated Grants

Agency for International Development

38

USDA, Cooperative State Research Service

117

Department of Defense (military)

100

Department of Energy

57

Environmental Protection Agency

89

DOI, Geological Survey

26

National Aeronautics and Space Admin.

67

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.

90

National Science Foundation

497

All Other

0

Total, Environmental R&D Grant Funding

1,080

Source: Authors' estimates derived from agency object classification reports, except for DOD and NASA, which are projected based on agencies' grant management data.

1 Excludes administrative overhead and R&D related to environmental health.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×
Agency Tables

Table II-1 Estimate of Environmental R&D at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration1 (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Earth Observing System (EOS)

74

151

184

58%

Earth Probes

14

52

93

162%

Topex

85

80

60

-16%

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

55

62

0

-100%

Payload Instrument Development

76

49

40

-28%

Mission Operations & Data Analysis

24

31

59

57%

Airborne Research

19

20

20

2%

Process Studies

114

116

124

4%

Modeling & Data Analysis

39

44

49

13%

Interdisciplinary Analysis

9

12

3

-46%

Construction of Facilities, Global Change

0

9

17

--

Life Sciences, Research & Analysis

3

4

5

23%

Estimated Intramural Research

56

60

65

8%

Subtotal

567

691

718

13%

INFORMATION AND DATA R&D

EOS Data and Information Systems

0

36

83

--

CIESIN2

8

8

25

77%

Subtotal

8

44

108

267%

Total, NASA Environmental R&D

575

735

826

20%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency budget justification and cross-cut by field of science.

1 These estimates exclude funding for environmental sciences in NASA's planetary and commercial applications programs, which are estimated to total $305 million in FY 1990, $328 million in FY 1991, and $322 million in FY 1992.

2 Consortium for International Earth Science Information Networks.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-2. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Energy (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–1992

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

CO2, Core Program

15

18

17

5%

CO2, Quantitative Links (ARM)

16

22

26

28%

CO2, CHAMMP1

6

7

10

33%

CO2, Nat'l Inst. for Global Env. Change

6

9

11

37%

CO2, Oceans Research

2

4

5

47%

CO2, Education

0

2

2

--

Terrestrial Transport

14

15

14

1%

Atmospheric Science

12

10

10

-7%

Ecosystem Functioning and Response

8

7

7

-10%

Coastal, Marine Transport

6

5

6

-3%

Basic Energy Sciences, Geosciences

18

17

19

5%

Fish and Wildlife, Bonneville Power2

1

1

1

0%

Subtotal

104

118

129

11%

SOCIAL SCIENCES

CO2, Human Interactions

2

0

1

-33%

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Atomic Defense Env. Waste and Restor

187

169

224

9%

Clean Coal Technologies

525

361

390

-14%

Coal Flue Gas Cleanup

17

17

18

2%

Coal Gas Stream Cleanup

17

17

17

1%

Coal Preparation Control Technologies

20

16

12

-22%

Coal Advanced R&D Control Technologies

2

3

2

3%

Coal Waste Management

2

2

2

-4%

Oil & Gas Environmental Research

2

1

2

-3%

Oil Shale Environmental Mitigation

2

2

0

-100%

Subtotal

774

590

667

-7%

INFORMATION AND DATA R&D

CO2, Information

2

2

2

0%

Total, DOE Environmental R&D

882

709

799

-5%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency budget justification.

1 Computer Hardware, Advanced Math and Model Physics program.

2 Represents obligational authority financed by Bonneville Power Administration ratepayers.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-3. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Defense (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)1

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Navy

137

152

149

4%

Air Force

67

79

72

4%

Army

40

37

38

-3%

Services, Global Change

0

0

6

--

Strategic Defense Initiative, Env. Sciences

120

108

112

-3%

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

29

28

29

2%

Defense Nuclear Agency

10

9

12

8%

Office of the Secretary of Defense

11

37

13

10%

Subtotal

413

450

432

2%

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Strategic Environmental Research Program

0

100

10

--

Start Treaty: Rocket Motor Demilitarization

0

3

27

--

Defense Agencies, Special Env. Project

0

0

20

--

Navy, Environmental Quality

0

0

26

--

Installation Restoration

10

18

23

52%

Noise Abatement

4

4

4

-1%

Pollution Prevention

10

14

19

41%

Terrestrial & Aquatic Assessment

4

5

7

39%

Global Marine Compliance

1

1

1

20%

Atmospheric Compliance

1

1

2

18%

Base Support Operations

2

3

6

63%

Subtotal

32

149

146

114%

Total, DOD Environmental R&D

445

599

577

14%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency cross-cuts for environmental R&D.

1 Most of DOD's programatic estimates are given in terms of total obligational authority, which does not always correspond precisely with budget authority.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-4. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the National Science Foundation1 (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

BIO, Ecological Studies

23

25

26

5%

BIO, Systematic & Population Biology

22

24

25

6%

BIO, Long-term Environmental Biology

20

21

24

9%

BIO, Science & Technology Center

2

2

2

6%

BIO, Marine Laboratories

2

2

2

-13%

GEO, Ocean Sciences Research Support

73

82

91

12%

GEO, Oceanographic Centers and Facilities

42

48

52

10%

GEO, Ocean Drilling Program

32

35

36

7%

GEO, Nat'l Center for Atmospheric Research

45

49

51

6%

GEO, Upper Atmospheric Facilities

6

6

7

9%

GEO, Earth Sciences Project Support

41

46

50

10%

GEO, Instrumentation and Facilities

14

18

20

20%

GEO, Continental Dynamics

6

6

7

10%

GEO, Arctic Research Projects

12

14

20

32%

GEO, Arctic Research Commission

0

1

1

4%

GEO, Science & Technology Centers

1

1

1

-3%

Antarctic Research

17

19

22

14%

Subtotal

411

460

503

11%

SOCIAL SCIENCES

SBE, Global Change

1

4

7

138%

SBE, Other Environmental Related R&D

2

1

*

48%

GEO, Arctic Research Projects

*

1

1

83%

Education & Human Resources Research

2

3

4

50%

Subtotal

5

8

12

60%

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

ENG, Natural and Man-made Hazard Mitigation

3

3

3

3%

ENG, Environmental and Ocean Systems

5

6

6

8%

ENG, Earthquake & Ocean Systems

16

15

17

1%

Subtotal

24

24

26

3%

Total, NSF Environmental R&D

440

492

541

11%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency budget data and cross-cut by field of science.

* Less than $500,000.

1 NSF Directorates include Biological Sciences (BIO), Geosciences (GEO), Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBE) and Engineering (ENG).

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-5. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990-92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Coastal and Wetlands Processes

7

10

9

12%

Climate Change/Global Change

3

10

11

92%

Landslide Hazards

2

2

2

5%

Volcano Hazards

18

16

15

-7%

Earthquake Hazards Reduction

46

50

50

4%

Nat'l Water Quality Assessment Program

6

16

26

102%

Core Hydrologic Research

8

10

10

10%

Toxic Substances Hydrology

13

13

13

3%

Regional Aquifer System Analysis

10

10

8

-11%

Climate Change Hydrology

2

7

8

99%

Nuclear Waste Hydrology

3

4

3

-2%

Acid Rain

1

1

1

6%

Water Research, Improved Instrumentation

1

1

1

3%

Water Resources Assessment

1

1

1

11%

Tuckee-Carson Water Resource Program

0

0

*

--

Federal-State Water Pgm., Coal Hydrology

2

0

0

-100%

Federal-State Water Program, Water Use

*

*

*

2%

Water Research Grants

4

4

2

-36%

Water Research, State Institutes

6

6

6

0%

Mineral Resource Surveys

47

49

50

4%

Offshore Geologic Framework

26

27

28

3%

Energy Geologic Surveys

27

30

30

5%

Deep Continental Studies

3

3

3

4%

Geomagnetism

2

2

2

3%

Subtotal

239

273

281

8%

INFORMATION AND DATA R&D

National Geologic Mapping

19

21

22

7%

Cartographic & Geographic Research

6

6

6

-2%

Advanced Cartographic Systems

10

15

14

17%

Geographic & Spacial Information Analysis

6

6

6

-5%

Global Change Data Systems

1

7

7

174%

Nat'l Cartographic Requirements/Standards

*

*

*

9%

Water Data Collection & Analysis

7

7

7

-2%

Federal-State Water Pgm., Data & Analysis

20

25

24

9%

Subtotal

71

86

86

11%

Total, USGS Environmental R&D

310

360

367

9%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency R&D cross-cut.

* Less than $500,000.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-6. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990-92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Contaminants Research

13

14

14

1%

Wildlife Research

18

19

18

1%

Fishery Research

16

19

19

9%

Endangered Species Research

6

8

8

13%

Technical Development

7

11

14

44%

Cooperative Units

7

8

8

8%

Research Center Maintenance

4

4

5

3%

Total, FWS Environmental R&D

71

82

85

9%

 

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency budget justification.

Table II-7. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Interior, Other Agencies (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990-92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

National Park Service

18

23

27

22%

Bureau of Land Management

3

5

11

89%

Bureau of Reclamation, Global Change

0

2

3

--

Subtotal

21

31

40

39%

SOCIAL SCIENCES1

Office of the Secretary

*

*

*

--

National Park Service

NA

NA

NA

--

Subtotal

*

*

*

--

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Bureau of Mines

15

19

18

10%

Minerals Management Service

2

3

6

73%

Bureau of Reclamation

3

4

5

32%

Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement

1

1

1

18%

Office of the Secretary

1

1

1

13%

Subtotal

22

28

31

20%

Total, DOI, Other Agencies' Env. R&D

42

59

72

30%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency budget justifications and R&D cross-cuts.

* Less than $500,000.

1 The National Park Service conducts social sciences R&D related to environmental management, but data were not available on the amounts involved.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-8. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)1

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relation

24

26

30

11%

Improvement of Range Resources

6

6

6

5%

Wildlife & Fish Ecology

4

6

6

20%

Saline and Sodic Soils and Salinity Mgt.

2

2

3

9%

Appraisal of Soil Resources

1

1

1

5%

Alternative Uses of Land

*

*

*

3%

Env. Biology supporting other goals

49

54

57

8%

Physical Env. Sciences for other goals

13

15

17

16%

Subtotal

100

110

121

10%

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Alleviation of Pollution

9

12

13

19%

Watershed Protection and Management

8

8

9

9%

Conservation & Efficient Use of Water

7

8

9

16%

Efficient Drainage & Irrigation Systems

3

4

4

21%

Protection from Pollution

2

2

2

14%

Subtotal

29

33

38

15%

INFORMATION AND DATA R&D

Remote Sensing

1

1

1

10%

CIESIN/Global Change2

0

0

1

--

Subtotal

1

1

2

46%

Total, ARS Environmental R&D

129

144

162

12%

Source: Authors' estimates.

* Less than $500,000.

1 ARS budget authority has been projected based on 1990 data in the Current Research Information System for goals pertaining to the environment and for environmental sciences research supporting other goals.

2 Consortium for International Earth Science Information Networks.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-9. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research Service (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)1

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990-92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Hatch/Agricultural Experiment Stations

35

37

38

4%

Cooperative Forestry

10

11

11

3%

1890 Colleges & Tuskegee

8

9

9

5%

Special Grants

15

17

20

15%

Competitive Grants

2

17

21

193%

Animal Health

*

*

*

1%

Subtotal

71

90-

99

18%

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Hatch/Agricultural Experiment Stations

1

1

1

4%

Cooperative Forestry

1

1

1

3%

1890 Colleges & Tuskegee

*

*

*

5%

Special Grants

1

1

1

15%

Subtotal

3

3

3

8%

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Hatch/Agricultural Experiment Stations

6

7

7

4%

Cooperative Forestry

*

*

*

3%

1890 Colleges & Tuskegee

1

1

1

5%

Special Grants

6

6

8

15%

Competitive Grants

1

1

1

51%

Animal Health

*

*

*

1%

Subtotal

13

15

17

11%

Total, CSRS Environmental R&D

87

107

119

17%

Source: Author's estimates.

* Less than $500,000.

1 CSRS budget authority has been projected based on 1990 data in the Current Research Information System for goals pertaining to the environment and for environmental sciences research supporting other goals.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-10. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)1

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990-92

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Natural Resource Management

6

6

7

8%

Global Change/Economics

0

0

1

--

Total, ERS Environmental R&D

6

6

7

14%

Source: Authors' estimates.

1 ERS budget authority has been projected based on 1990 data in the Current Research Information System for goals pertaining to the environmental and for environmental sciences research supporting other goals.

Table II-11. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)1

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990-92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Global Change

16

23

21

13%

New Perspectives: Ecological Management

7

13

14

42%

Threatened, Endang, and Sensitive Species

5

7

7

16%

Tropical Forestry

4

4

6

27%

Wetlands

0

*

3

--

Forest Health Monitoring

1

1

2

30%

Resource Management: Other Life Sciences

39

39

40

2%

Resource Management: Physical Env. Sci.

10

10

10

2%

Subtotal

82

97

103

12%

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Economics of Timber Production

2

2

2

9%

Global Change/Human Interactions

0

0

3

--

Subtotal

2

2

5

62%

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Protection from Pollution

3

3

3

2%

Alleviation of Pollution

2

2

2

2%

Watershed Protection and Management

1

1

1

2%

Subtotal

6

6

6

2%

INFORMATION AND DATA R&D

Geographic Information System

0

1

1

--

Total, FS Environmental R&D

89

106

115

13%

Source: Author's estimates.

* Less than $500,000.

1 FS budget authority has been projected based on 1990 data in the Current Research Information System for goals pertaining to the environment and for environmental sciences research supporting other goals.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-12. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Environmental Protection Agency (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990-92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Environmental Processes & Effects

52

53

65

12%

Env. Sciences w/in Monitoring Systems

25

28

49

40%

Env. Monitoring & Assessment Pgm. (EMAP)

17

16

21

11%

Stratospheric Modification Program

15

22

23

25%

Exploratory Research

13

17

18

17%

Acid Deposition

23

8

8

-40%

Ecological Risk Uncertainty

3

3

3

-1%

Env. Sciences in Technical Liaison

2

3

3

4%

Subtotal

150

149

190

12%

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Socio-Economic Research

0

1

1

--

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Environmental Engineering & Technology

97

96

94

-1%

Monitoring Systems

32

31

29

-5%

Exploratory Research

13

16

14

7%

Acid Deposition

7

2

3

-40%

Technical Liaison

8

9

9

4%

Subtotal

157

154

149

-2%

INFORMATION AND DATA R&D

High Performance Computing

0

*

4

--

EMAP/Computer Sciences

0

4

5

--

Subtotal

0

4

8

--

Total, EPA Environmental R&D1

307

307

347

6%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency budget justification and cross-cut by field of science.

* Less than $500,000.

1 Including administrative overhead and R&D related to environmental health, EPA's R&D funding totaled $424 million in FY 1990, $440 million in FY 1991, and $502 million in FY 1992.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-13. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration1 (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Aug. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

OAR, Climate & Global Change

17

44

44

63%

OAR, Weather Research

28

29

28

1%

OAR, Long-term Climate & Air Quality

17

18

18

3%

OAR, Acid Rain/Oxidants/Ozone

4

4

4

0%

OAR, Interannual/Seasonal

7

7

7

0%

OAR, National Climate Program

2

2

0

-100%

OAR, Marine Prediction/Great Lakes

16

18

21

13%

OAR, Sea Grant/Environmental Sciences

12

12

12

1%

OAR, Undersea Research

8

10

11

13%

NWS, National Weather Service

15

12

28

37%

NOS, Estuarine & Coastal Assessment

12

11

14

10%

NOS, Coastal Ocean Science

6

10

12

34%

NOS, Observation & Prediction

2

2

2

-1%

NOS, Estuarine and Marine Sanctuaries

1

1

1

-14%

NOS, Ocean minerals & energy

1

1

1

1%

NMFS, Fisheries Resource Information

75

79

91

10%

NMFS, Fishery Information Analysis

6

6

6

0%

NMFS, Marine Fisheries Grants to States

5

5

5

5%

NMFS, Fishery Management Programs

0

*

2

--

NMFS, Protected Species Management

0

0

*

--

NMFS, Promote & Develop Fisheries R&D

5

7

1

-68%

Subtotal

237

277

305

13%

SOCIAL SCIENCES

OAR, Sea Grant

1

1

1

34%

NMFS, Fishery Industry Information

*

*

*

0%

Subtotal

1

1

1

26%

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

OAR, Sea Grant

2

2

2

3%

INFORMATION AND DATA R&D

NOS, Geodesy

1

2

2

17%

NOS, Mapping and Charting

*

*

*

2%

National Env. Data & Information Service

8

8

9

3%

Subtotal

10

11

11

5%

Total, NOAA Environmental R&D

250

290

319

13%

Source: Author's estimates based on agency R&D cross-cut and budget justification.

* Less than $500,000.

1 Agencies within NOAA include Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Weather Service (NWS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the National Environmental Data and Information Service.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-14. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Agency for International Development (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Aug. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

Environmental Sciences

Env. Science in Support of Agriculture

15

15

16

3%

Natural Resource Conservation/Management

11

7

7

-18%

Innovative Science

4

3

3

-11%

Marine/Coastal Resource Management

3

2

4

20%

Watershed Management

1

1

1

4%

Subtotal

34

29

31

-4%

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Economics

3

3

4

29%

Social Sciences

4

4

4

0%

Subtotal

7

7

9

11%

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Pollution Prevention

0

0

3

--

Other

2

2

2

5%

Subtotal

2

2

5

56%

Total, AID Environmental R&D

43

38

45

2%

 

Source: Author's estimates based on agency budget justification and R&D cross-cut.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-15. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Smithsonian Institution (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Aug. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

Environmental Sciences

Natural History Museum

16

17

19

10%

Tropical Research Institute

6

6

7

8%

Environmental Research Center

2

2

2

12%

International Environmental Science

1

1

1

11%

National Zoo Park

2

3

3

8%

Astrophysical Observatory/Global Change

0

*

*

--

Nat'l Air and Space Museum/Global Change

0

*

*

--

Subtotal

27

30

33

11%

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Human Ecology History/Global Change

0

*

*

--

Total, SI Environmental R&D

27

31

33

11%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency R&D cross-cut by field of science.

* Less than $500,000.

Table II-16. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Tennessee Valley Authority (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Nutrients and Water Quality

9

13

13

23%

Agricultural, Municipal & Indust. Wastes

7

9

9

15%

Electric Power Program1

3

3

8

57%

Total, TVA Environmental R&D

19

25

31

27%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency budget materials and communications.

1 Represents obligational authority financed by TVA ratepayers.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

Table II-17. Estimate of Environmental R&D at the Corps of Engineers (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–92

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Long-Term Env. Effects of Dredging

1

1

1

0%

Subtotal

1

1

1

0%

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Economic Impact of Global Warming

0

0

*

--

Water Investment Risk Analysis

0

0

1

--

Subtotal

0

0

1

--

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Wetlands Research

1

3

7

182%

Coastal Engineering

5

6

6

4%

Aquatic Plant Control

3

3

4

4%

Flood Control and Related R&D

3

3

3

2%

Environmental Quality

2

2

1

-8%

Water Resource Plan Studies

2

2

1

-25%

Natural Resources

*

1

1

27%

Zebra Mussel Control

0

0

1

--

Subtotal

17

19

23

17%

INFORMATION AND DATA R&D

Surveying, Mapping, & Remote Sensing

1

2

2

22%

Total, CE Environmental R&D

19

22

27

20%

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency budget justification and related data.

* Less than $500,000.

Table II-18. Estimate of Federal Environmental R&D at the Department of Transportation (budget authority in millions of dollars, by fiscal year)

 

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

Avg. Annual % Change FY 1990–1992

ENGINEERING AND RELATED R&D

Coast Guard

4

4

6

23%

Federal Highway Administration

2

3

6

64%

Federal Aviation Administration

2

2

4

42%

Total, DOT Environmental R&D

9

10

17

40%

 

Source: Authors' estimates based on agency budget justifications and R&D cross-cuts.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

APPENDIX B

From: Intersociety Working Group, AAAS Report XX: Research and Development, FY 1996 (Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1995), pp. 123–126.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Over the last five years, EPA has made a concerted effort to steer its R&D resources toward integrated, multimedia studies. Prior to this shift, the agency's science agenda was largely reactive, focusing on particular contaminants or remedial technologies dictated by statutes. EPA has advocated, with considerable success, that its research program support both the near-term studies needed by regulatory offices and the longer-term research needed to resolve scientific uncertainties about the interrelationships among environmental problems and their effects on ecological and human communities. Striking a balance between the two is expected to strengthen the scientific rationale for assessing and managing environmental risks.

EPA is also taking steps to improve the quality of the research it funds. Acting on the recommendations of a 1994 study of its operations, the agency is consolidating and restructuring its research labs and offices to eliminate overhead and focus on risk-based management. The agency also is in the process of expanding the use of competitive, peer-review grants for its research and is working with NSF to develop award protocols and project reviews. The move toward competitive awards is expected to shift some activity from contract to academic researchers. Following another study recommendation, EPA is initiating a fellowship program for doctoral and masters students, beginning with 100 fellowships in FY 1995. Agency plans also call for a mentorship program, in which top scientists from industry and academia would take temporary assignments to work with EPA researchers.

The net result of these changes is that over half of the agency's $619.2 million budget for R&D in FY 1995 supports multimedia research, more than double its 20 percent share in FY 1990. Much of this growth was achieved by shifting resources from media-specific studies over this period. For example, funding for R&D related exclusively to water quality problems and Superfund sites are each about 25 percent lower than they were five years ago in constant dollar terms. The level of support for hazardous waste and toxic substances have each declined by over 40 percent in the same period.

For the coming year, EPA has requested an additional $62.4 million for R&D, which would bring the total to $681.6 million for FY 1996 (up 10.1 percent over current levels). As shown in Table II-17, funding would continue to flow to the more long-term, multimedia research. The Administration would devote the lion's share of the new money to an expansion of the Environmental Technology Initiative (ETI) under the Multimedia program, proposing $119.8 million for the

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

coming year, $51.8 million (or 76.2 percent) more than FY 1995. Under the ETI program, EPA supports collaborative research to advance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of technologies related to the climate action plan (e.g., alternatives to greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances), advanced manufacturing, and pollution prevention. About two-thirds of the ETI R&D is administered by the Office of Research and Development (ORD).

At $76 million, ecosystems protection research would remain the second largest issue area despite relatively flat funding in FY 1996.2 These funds are used to develop scientific profiles, indicators, assessments, and strategies for ecosystems at three levels—national (e.g., characterizing esturine, forestry, range-land, and other ecosystems under the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program), regional (e.g., developing a scientific understanding of regional ecological problems and solutions), and watershed (e.g., predicting and understanding processes affecting watershed resources). Apart from watershed research, which accounts for most of the funding for Water Quality R&D, these projects are funded under the Multimedia budget.

The agency wants to boost funding for another priority issue area, criteria air pollutants R&D (up 10.5 percent to $46 million). This program, which is aimed at developing and improving the scientific basis of air quality standards for particular pollutants, has requested an additional $4.4 million for the criteria air pollutants program to address shortcomings identified by the National Academy of Sciences in the current strategies for tropospheric ozone. Following a series of meetings convened by EPA, various public and private organizations have formed a research consortium to fund and conduct research on this issue at a ratio of 2:1 of non-EPA to EPA money. In a related area, EPA is also seeking more money for R&D on air toxics (up $4.4 million to $14.4 million) to carry out congressionally mandated studies on urban toxics and the deposition of toxics in the Great Waters region.

Though much smaller in scale, the Administration has targeted selected health issues for significant increases in FY 1996. The $13 million requested for health effects research in FY 1996 (up 72 percent) assumes an infusion of $5.5 million primarily for studies on the effects of environmental exposure to chemicals that interact with the endocrine system. Funding for health risk assessments would rise to $19 million (up 42 percent) if Congress approves the $6 million increase requested to improve the methods and data upon which risk assessments are made, as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. Agency-wide support for research on human exposure would fall to $15.6 million in FY 1996 (down $1.9 million or 10.9 percent), because EPA does not envision any follow-on activities

2  

EPA's budget cross-cuts by issue do not allocate all of its intramural and support expenses to particular issue areas. Thus, the figures given here may provide an incomplete tally of the total resources devoted to each issue. However, the data provide reasonable indications of the magnitude and trends in funding.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

to the completed national human exposure assessment survey (saving $4.5 million). However, the agency has requested an additional $2 million under the Pesticides program to study special issues associated with the exposure of infants and children.

EPA's effort to enhance its scientific capabilities is apparent in the increases proposed for environmental education and its ''Cross Program" (components that cut across issues and programs, such as quality assurance). The environmental education budget would gain $3.2 million (for a total of $11.8 million) to double the number of fellowships from the 100 proposed for this year to 200 in FY 1996. Similarly, about half of the $4 million increase proposed for cross programs would be devoted to expand the number of grants, support the appointment of post-doctoral scientists, and fund the mentorship exchange.

As suggested by the reductions apparent in Table II-17, EPA is proposing to reduce funding for these projects to offset the cost of some of these initiatives. Perhaps the largest single source of savings is the agency's policy of halting funding on most of the "congressionally-directed" projects, which totaled $27.4 million in FY 1995. The effect of this policy is particularly pronounced on funding for exploratory grants and centers, which would drop 21 percent agency wide to $35 million because of earmarks totaling $3.6 million under Multimedia grants (e.g., EPSCoR, oil spill remediation) and $5.8 million under Superfund for the Gulf Coast and Clark Atlanta centers.

Finally, it should be noted that EPA is changing its accounting of certain working capital costs attributable to research beginning in FY 1996. Data processing, mail postage, supercomputers, and other support costs that previously were funded under the Office of Administration and Research Management will now be funded directly by ORD. Although this $35 million intra-agency adjustment does not affect the agency's overall budget or level of support for R&D, it could create the appearance of a surge in R&D funding unless prior-year budgets are presented on a comparable basis. AAAS has therefore revised the estimates of EPA's R&D for FY 1994 and 1995 upward by about $30 million each year so that the year-to-year trends shown in Table II-17 are not distorted by account changes.

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
×

APPENDIX C

From: Intersociety Working Group, AAAS Report XX: Research and Development, FY 1996 (Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1995), pp. 129.

Table II-1. R&D in the FY 1996 Budget by Agency (budget authority in millions of dollars)

 

FY 1994 Actual

FY 1995 Estimate

FY 1996 Budget

% Change FY 95–96 Current $ Constant $

Total R&D (Conduct and Facilities)

Defense (military)

35,509.6

36,272.2

35,161.2

-3.1%

-5.9%

NASA

9,405.5

9,874.2

9,517.1

-3.6%

-6.4%

Energy

6,771.2

6,534.4

7,012.9

7.3%

4.2%

HHS

11,323.5

11,726.9]

12,157.1

3.7%

0.6%

NIH

[10,473.5]

[10,840.2]

[11,293.3]

4.2%

1.1%

NSF

2,242.7

2,543.6

2,540.0

-0.1%

-3.1%

Agriculture

1,528.3

1,539.8

1,483.4

-3.7%

-6.5%

Interior

707.6

686.1

679.3

-1.0%

-3.9%

Transportation

640.8

687.0

619.5

-9.8%

-12.5%

EPA

588.1

619.2

681.6

10.1%

6.9%

Commerce

1,021.9

1,284.1

1,403.7

9.3%

6.1%

Education

175.3

174.8

181.8

4.0%

1.0%

AID

315.6

314.0

255.0

-18.8%

-21.2%

Veterans Affairs

276.5

296.9

272.8

-8.1%

-10.8%

Nuclear Reg. Comm.

90.7

82.0

81.8

-0.3%

-3.2%

Smithsonian

133.9

134.9

138.9

3.0%

-0.0%

Tennessee Valley Auth.

96.0

88.6

98.8

11.5%

8.2%

Corps of Engineers

51.6

54.6

55.4

1.5%

-1.4%

Labor

62.6

61.8

94.0

52.1%

47.7%

HUD

35.6

40.5

40.8

0.7%

-2.2%

Justice

45.8

53.7

55.1

2.7%

-0.3%

Postal Service

51.0

70.0

72.0

2.9%

-0.1%

TOTAL R&D

71,073.9

73,139.6

72,602.0

-0.7%

-3.6%

Defense

38,299.1

38,837.5

37,929.9

-2.3%

-5.2%

Nondefense

32,774.8

34,302.2

34,672.1

1.1%

-1.9%

Suggested Citation:"The Federal Budget and Environmental Priorities." National Research Council. 1996. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5409.
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