U.S. Budget 2009 - Environmentally friendly?

Our esteemed President and Commander in Chief, George W. Bush, gave his 2009 budget proposal back in February. Not suprising to some (nobody), there were many environment-related budget cuts. Unfortunately, these cuts weren't enough to trim the budget below the 3 trillion dollar mark, the first time in our nation's history. By the end of 2009 we are looking at 10 trillion dollars of debt. It seems only yesterday we had a large surplus and President Clinton was proposing his plan to pay off our debt. How far we've come.

The Environmental Protection Agency's budget has been slashed by $330 million to a total of $7.14 billion to lead things off. Here is a brief synopsis of the rest of the cuts:

• A $33 million (3.4%) cut in the EPA's Clean Air and Global Climate Change. This is the stated #1 goal of the EPA. 
• Cuts all $3.4 million to creating an economy-wide registry of carbon-emissions (measure). The measure passed in 2007 and is the first step to creating emissions caps for the economy. All three presidential candidates remaining call for some version of a cap and trade emission system but its impossible if we don't know who is emitting what!!! (Article)
• $4 million (8.3%) cut from the Energy STAR program. This program sets an efficiency standard for appliances if they want to carry their logo and also promotes energy saving ways of life. Other Clean Air and Global Climate Change cuts here
• $16 million cut for Global climate change research. 
• $5 million cut to clean up San Francisco Bay
• Cut $31 million in state grants to cut air pollution'
• $104 million (67%) cut to The Land and Water Conservation Fund. This is used to fund purchases of parks and wildlife refuges. 
• Former Fish and Wildlife Service director, Jamie Clark:"This budget, which emphasizes continued pursuit of damaging, unsustainable energy sources, while failing to adequately address the needs of public lands and wildlife increasingly threatened by global warming, once again shows that this administration remains determined to neglect our children's future and our nation's natural heritage." Article
  
• 27% cut in Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. However, does increase the budget for coal and nuclear energy

George Bush does a lot of shitty shit to the environment. Here are some links detailing even more of the cuts:

• New York Times article summarizing the budget proposal
• Briefing of other environment and energy cuts
• Good report on other programs cut. Another
• Release from Hillary Clinton ripping apart the budget
• A VERY good summary of the different sections of the budget by NPR
• Summary of the requests for the Department of Energy. Including new nuclear power plants and weapons!

I thinks you get the point by now. More money for war and weapons, less for social programs. Story of the administration

News story covering the budget

Bush's Nuclear Plan:

An angry man talks about the cuts