EPA Video Cuts & Congress

http://www.reuters.com/video/2011/04/27/the-official-royal-wedding-guest-list-re?videoId=205650376&videoChannel=13421&channelName=Video

1 minute

Trump’s Budget proposal cuts the EPA by 31% from 8.1$ Billion to 5.7$ Billion

GOAL: You are trying to advocate for your policy issue because you want to continue to have it receive funding from the government. You will be presenting a persuasive argument to the EPA as to why your issue should not be defunded.

STEPS:

1. Go to the EPA website https://www.epa.gov/ 

- current website (trump)

Or, if researching Climate Change pages, which have been removed by the new administration, you can find the https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/

- mirror website (Obama)

Focus question: How does your issue fit into the EPA?

2. Research your environmental topic under the EPA. What role does the EPA play in regards to your topic? If the EPA does not play a role, please select a topic that the EPA relates to.  For example, if your topic is getting more bee species on the endangered species list, that list is managed by the Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service.  However, the EPA works in conjunction by monitoring fungicides and pesticides.

3. What programs and regulations relate to your topic?  Do any of these regulations or guidelines that you found stem from existing laws? If so, which ones?

• Modeling example  bees - https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/epa-actions-protect-pollinators

4. What solutions are there for addressing your issue?

What actions have already been taken on this issue?

5. What are the stakeholders (adversaries and allies)  in your environmental topic/ program? Which certain populations are more affected or involved? As you prepare research to advocate and defend your issue, find out: What is the controversy around the issue, and who are you up against? Is there one company that has been particularly outspoken about the issue?

• In our bees example, would this be agribusiness?

5. What groups could be your allies in this? Research other interest groups and lobbyists.

Prepare your presentation pitch  to Scott Pruitt. (He will be in class on the block day!)

Links to some background articles
Trump and the EPA articles:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/us/politics/budget-epa-state-department-cuts.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/climate/trump-epa-budget-cuts.html?_r=0

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/environmental-protection-agency-budget-cuts/

http://time.com/money/4685308/donald-trump-epa-cuts/

NPR - http://www.npr.org/2017/03/06/518743011/natural-resources-defense-council-monitors-how-trump-s-epa-may-change

Trump’s Budget Blueprint (from OMB)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/budget/fy2018/2018_blueprint.pdf

See page 41