At today's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) questioned EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin about a backlog in projects.
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00:00Administrator, I had asked you, we had had a discussion about the
00:08congressionally directed spending projects. You have indicated that indeed
00:15we've got a backlog here that we need to address. My understanding is that since
00:21fiscal year 2022, Congress had directed 2,264 CDS projects at the EPA. Only 705 have
00:32received the funding. So I think both of us would agree, you know, we've got an
00:38issue here. There's a problem. The FY25CR, of course, did not include the CDS
00:45projects. So I'm looking at that and saying, all right, the agency has the
00:51balance of the fiscal year to work on catching up from this backlog of the
00:56CDSs. Can you just give me a little bit of your understanding in terms of how
01:03you've directed your team to expeditiously get these projects out the door in a
01:10more timely manner? I appreciate the question, Madam Chair. The
01:15backlog goes back years and I've directed my team to both work with the members
01:22of Congress who represent those areas, the members of Congress who requested
01:26those earmarks, to get assistance in in the case where the recipient has not been
01:33responsive, and simultaneously to try to engage as much as possible directly with
01:39the recipient to try to get the the recipient to submit their paperwork. We
01:44want to we want to completely get through the entire backlog that we inherited as
01:49quickly as possible. Can we help you with that? I mean, yes. I mean, I'm working with
01:53my constituents right now as we're moving forward in this year's appropriations and
01:57and getting requests for CDSs. So can you perhaps either let me know who it is on
02:06your team that we need to be communicating directly to if there are snags on your end or perhaps, again, you're just not able to get in touch with the applicant?
02:16Yeah, 100 percent. And as as you well know, the EPA is broke down into all sorts of different program offices and the it might not be just one person for all grants. It might depend on whether the backlog,
02:32it might be we might be talking about a backlog inside of the Office of Water where they need assistance from the members of Congress or maybe it's another office, maybe it's the Office of Air and Radiation. We would look forward to an opportunity to work with you and your team and all members of Congress on both sides of the
02:50the aisle as much as possible to eliminate the backlog that we inherited. Good, good. Let's let's let's let's do that. I think that's a good plan. Many members here have asked about different grants and programs and the pauses, the freezes.
03:07It's been particularly frustrating in Alaska when we hear that there is there's been a hold up in terms of of the the the grant award. We've got just a limited construction season. It's just hard. And and even if you're not choked by ice, you might have a barge that comes up with your materials for a project maybe once, maybe twice a season.
03:36And so it can push a project back not just months, but but by another season, another year, perhaps multiple years. It's been it's been hard to to provide some clarity to our communities on which grants are going to be awarded, which are just going through the review process that you shared with us, which grants have been terminated. So I'd ask if your folks could provide a
04:06a list of a list of what's actually been paused for review versus what has been terminated. I think we've heard, for instance, you know, on the EJ grants that that one has been perhaps more clear, but there are a lot in between. And I think it would it would it would it would help our communities.
04:26If there was more certainty as to what has actually been terminated versus what is still in the pipeline for review. So I'd ask for your help on that.
04:37Absolutely, Madam Chair, and we will continue to be distributing funding appropriated by Congress as we go through the rest of the fiscal year that will include funds for your great, great state. And we look forward to working with you on the process. As you know, when the president first came in, there was a
04:58administration wide pause that was lifted. The pause that was then instituted for EPA was more specific to some of the Inflation Reduction Act programs. There was a clean school bus program concern that was that was raised early in the administration when Lion Electric and their bankruptcy issue caused some questions to be asked to make sure that the concerns were
05:28with Lion Electric were it was just specific to Lion Electric. And as it relates to the grants that were that were canceled. That that's something that if you have any questions about what was included in that, we're happy to answer any individual questions. Good. Okay, we'll work forward work with you on on that list. Senator Merkley.