Government
Regulatory agency budgets up in fiscal 1981 Inflation will determine whether federal agencies gain ground, hold their own, or lose ground in budget proposal for fiscal 1981 The Administration's fiscal 1981 budget proposal contains mixed re sults for the federal regulatory agen cies that affect the chemical com munity. Budgets for most of the agencies would be up, but the infla tion rate in fiscal 1981 will pretty much determine whether the agencies gain ground, hold their own, or lose in fiscal 1981. The Nuclear Regulatory Commis sion by anyone's standards would be the biggest winner in the budget proposal. In the wake of the Three Mile Island accident, the agency is slated for a budget increase of 25%, or $94 million, to $468.5 million. It also would get 356 new people. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration would get a hefty in crease. It is slated for a budget in crease of 13% to $211.8 million. OSHA's enforcement budget of $128.5 million, up 6% is expected to provide for 65,000 federal inspections in fiscal 1981, 3000 more than in 1980. Resources for OSHA's safety and health standards development ac tivities would be up almost 34%, or $2.2 million, $1 million of which is earmarked for identification, classi fication, and evaluation activities in support of the agency's new generic cancer policy. OSHA expects to issue 12 new health standards in fiscal 1981, compared to 10 in fiscal 1980. Under the budget proposal, the Environmental Protection Agency's total funding also would be up, about 8% to $5.1 billion. Its operating bud get, which pays for most of its regu lating activities, also would be up 8%, to $1.4 billion. But some of EPA's older programs are facing budget decreases in favor of beefing up the solid/hazardous waste programs. As EPA puts it, it is reprograming 146 work years and several million dollars from the older media pro 14
C&EN Feb. 11, 1980
grams such as air and water quality to the more urgent priority of regulating hazardous waste. Thus, funding for the solid/haz ardous waste program would be up an astounding 47% to $147.4 million and it would get a 91% personnel increase. And that doesn't even include the $250 million EPA's expecting to reap in fiscal 1981 from the oil and haz ardous substances liability superfund now being considered in Congress. In its air program, EPA will con centrate its enforcement activities on stationary sources that have never come into compliance with the air pollution laws. It also expects to begin assessing administrative penalties against these sources—that is, re quiring them to pay fines equal to the amount they saved by not installing air pollution control equipment. In its water program, EPA says it will pro pose "best available technology eco nomically achievable" toxic guide lines for up to 25 primary industries and will publish water quality criteria for 65 classes of toxic pollutants. The Food & Drug Administration would not do anywhere near so well as OSHA and EPA in the budget pro posal. Its budget would be up a slight 3% to $332.9 million, a level that the agency says will allow it to "continue its current level of consumer protec tion activities." Of the total amount, 47% would go for research on and regulation of drugs and devices; 29% for food; 7% for radiological products; and 4% for the National Center for Toxicoiogical Research. The re maining 12% would fund FDA's pro gram management activities. Other agencies that would get in creases under the Administration's budget plan include the Patent & Trademark Office, up 7% to $113.2 million; the Federal Trade Commis sion, also up 7% to $72.5 million; and the Consumer Product Safety Com mission, up 2% to $43.9 million. The Justice Department's antitrust divi sion on paper is slated for a 4%, or $1.9 million decrease to $47.3 million. However, the budget's prepared phaseout of the State Antitrust Grant program would mean a $4 million decrease, so in fact the division would have more money to spend in fiscal 1981 than it did in 1980. Janice Long C&EN Washington
OSHA's budget would grow a solid 1 3 % . . . $ Millions
1981a
1980e
Enforcement, total $128.2 $121.1 84.7 Federal 78.7 42.4 State 43.5 Compliance assistance 41.7 32.2 Technical support 17.5 13.0 Executive direction and 8.7 7.4 administration Safety and health 8.7 6.5 standards Safety and health 7.0 7.0 statistics TOTAL $211.8 $187.2
1979b
$106.3 70.8 35.3 23.2 11.1 7.4 6.9 6.4 $161.1
a Estimates, b Actual. N o t · : Obligations
. . . EPA's would gain a more modest 8 % . . $ Millions
1981a
1980e
1979b
$335.1 $337.4 $332.3 Water quality 250.5 268.3 Air quality 248.5 173.T 219.4 196.5 Management and support 147.4 100.1 733 Solid hazardous waste 112.8 101.4 Energy 107.6 106.0 94.6 55.4 Toxic substances 86.9 70.3 Drinking water 76.7 68.2 68.2 74.0 Pesticides 23.6 27.2 26.3 Interdisciplinary 17.3 17.8 10.1 Radiation 12.9 13.1 10.9 Noise 1.4 12 Buildings and facilities 4.1 U.S. Regulatory Council 3.3 3.1 — 2.5 1.0 Scientific activities — overseas TOTAL $1391.2 $1286.6 $1202.6 a Estimate, b Actual. N o t · : Obligations.
• w
. . . and FDA's would rise only a slim 3 % $ Million·
1981a
$155.0 Drugs and devices 96.5 Foods Program management 42.9 23.3 Radiological products 15.2 National Center for Toxicoiogical Research $332.9 TOTAL a Estimate, b Actual. N o t · : Obligations.
1980s
< 1979b
$150.4 93.8 42.4 22.7 14.8
$131.0 92.7 39.^ 23.8 Λ4.2
$324.1
$301.2
