Observations on the Environmental Protection Agency's Budget Request for Fiscal Year 1992

GAO discussed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget request for fiscal year 1992. GAO noted that: (1) EPA requested $2.5 million for operations, a 7-percent increase over its 1991 budget; (2) EPA anticipated using $117 million toward implementing the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act; (3) in constant dollars, the amount of EPA resources was no greater now than 13 years ago although its responsibilities significantly increased over that period; (4) federal, state, and local governments as well as industry faced considerable compliance costs over the next decade; (5) EPA could better achieve environmental goals with limited resources by revising current policies and program management, setting priorities, measuring progress and program effectiveness, using nonregulatory approaches to pollution control, and addressing local financing needs; (6) although EPA had begun to address many environmental problems, it needs to more effectively deal with them; and (7) EPA should work more closely with Congress to identify opportunities for shifting resources from problems with minimal human health or environmental risks to high-risk problems.