President Obama’s budget proposal to increase funding for loans and grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is running into criticism and opposition by Oklahoma U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe.
As chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he issued a statement after learning from POLITICO that the President’s fiscal year 2017 budget request will increase the funding under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund by $158 million to $1.02 billion. But the plan will also cut the Clean Water State Revolving Fund by $250 million from the 2016 enacted levels.
“It took the media bringing to light the crisis in Flint, Michigan for the president to become concerned with the EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund,” said the Senator. “Every year previous, the president’s budget proposal has sought to short change this fund while increasing funding for subsidies for his corporate friends that share his global warming views.”
Sen. Inhofe said the new budget is simply a move by the president to increase the program’s budget by “robbing Peter to pay Paul by tapping the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.”
The Senator said both of the funds are fiscally responsible in how they provide low interest loans to communities in need of addressing critical water infrastructure.
“The federal government can responsibly help Flint, and help prevent another Flint from happening by supporting infrastructure investment,” added Inhofe who promised to work to find a bipartisan solution to help the families in Flint.
