AIBS has endorsed a community letter urging congressional appropriators to support increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science and Technology (S&T) account in fiscal year (FY) 2026.
The letter recommends that Congress provide at least $876 million for EPA S&T, of which $40 million is requested for the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program.
“EPA’s ability to address increasingly complex environmental challenges has been hampered by staffing shortages and declining research funding,” the letter reads. “EPA staffing levels are at historic lows and funding for S&T has dropped from a peak of $846 million in FY 2010 to $758.1 million in FY 2024/FY 2025. The STAR program has been underfunded, falling from $138 million in FY 2012 to $28.6 million in recent years. Nonetheless, EPA S&T supported research has profoundly impacted public health, pollution control, and environmental sustainability.”
Read the letter sent to the House. An identical letter was shared with the Senate.
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