Senator Murray: “This budget reflects how seriously we are working to tackle the climate crisis and protect our environment.”
ICYMI: Senator Murray Secures Historic Investments for Working Families and Washington State in End of Year Funding Package – MORE HERE
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced billions in funding for critical environmental and climate programs that support Washington state priorities and projects. The funding that was secured in the FY23 Omnibus Package, which Senator Murray was a leader in passing, will support salmon recovery, wildfire prevention, and more.
“Whether it is increasingly severe wildfires or heat waves that make the pavement on our roads buckle, the climate crisis is here and we’ve seen it up close in our own backyards,” said Senator Murray. “This budget reflects how seriously we are working to tackle the climate crisis and protect our environment. I worked hard to secure record funding levels—whether it’s efforts to save our salmon or restoring and preserving the ecosystems that make Washington state so special like the Puget Sound—I will always fight to protect our natural resources and environment for current and future generations.”
Salmon Recovery and Marine Habitat Restoration
Senator Murray understands that salmon are the cornerstone of Washington state’s economy, culture, sovereign Tribes, and traditions. Senator Murray fought for provisions in the end-of-year spending package that would protect delicate ecosystems and restore critical salmon populations, such as: $65 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund; $54 million for the Puget Sound Geographic Program, which is $19.75 million above the FY22 funding level; $90 million for NOAA’s highest priority facility construction, repair, and deferred maintenance needs—an increase of $31 million over FY22—and accompanying report language to prioritize regional facility modernization planning and redevelopment in the Northwest; $72 million for the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Pacific Salmon account, which supports the agency’s work with Endangered Species Act-listed Pacific salmon species at $5 million above FY22 enacted levels; and $65.25 million for the Salmon Management Activities account, which supports NOAA’s hatchery operations and international treaty agreements—and is $2.2 million above FY22 enacted levels.
Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation
Senator Murray has played a key role in securing funds for wildfire prevention and mitigation, fire resilient forests, and more. In the end-of-year spending package, Senator Murray was able to include funding for priorities like:
- Wildland Firefighting: Total annual funding for wildfire suppression is $4.395 billion, of which $1.395 billion is provided in base suppression operations, $2.55 billion is provided in the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund, and $450 million is provided in the disaster supplemental. The end of year package provides $550 million (14 percent) more than fiscal year 2022. Since the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141), which authorized the Reserve Fund, the average annual cost of suppression has exceeded the assumptions that informed current funding levels the Reserve Fund. Fiscal year 2021 was the most expensive year on record, with costs exceeding $4 billion; fiscal year 2022 costs were over $3.7 billion. As catastrophic fires grow in size and frequency, wildfire suppression funding must keep pace. Further, the bill builds on commitments to improve compensation for federal firefighters and convert seasonal positions to full-time—an important priority for Senator Murray.
- Wildfire Smoke Mitigation: The bill provides $7 million, an increase of $3 million from the fiscal year 2022 level, for the EPA wildfire grant program established last year to support local efforts to prepare for and protect against wildfire smoke hazards, including by developing smoke mitigation and filtration plans for schools and community buildings. It also provides $3 million to support EPA wildfire smoke monitoring as well as smoke forecasting and communication tools like AirNow Fire and Smoke Map.
- Hazardous Fuels: The Forest Service and the Department of the Interior are provided a total of $454 million for hazardous fuels reduction, $40 million more than last year.
- Forest Restoration: The bill builds on investments in the Forest Service, including $32 million for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) program, a $4 million increase.
Boosting EPA Funding
The bill provides $10.135 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an increase of $576 million from last year. This funding invests in healthy communities and job creation by supporting EPA’s infrastructure grant programs. The funding invests in core environmental programs after years of flat funding, providing increases for EPA enforcement and compliance programs (an increase of $72 million), clean air programs (an increase of $32 million), water programs (an increase of $33 million), and toxic chemical programs (an increase of $20 million).
Supporting Washington State Farmers and Growers
Senator Murray has been a longtime advocate for Washington state’s farmers and has always advocated for major investments in cutting-edge agricultural research, much of which is conducted at Washington State University (WSU) and across Washington state. Key investments Senator Murray secured to support Washington state agricultural priorities in the end-of-year spending package include:
- $1 million in additional research funding for the Pacific Northwest Herbicide Research Initiative based at Washington State University, which aims to address unique herbicide resistant weeds that burden Washington state wheat growers, bringing the program’s total annual funding to $3 million;
- $250k in additional funding for Little Cherry Disease (LCD) research, bringing the annual funding total to $2.25 million in an effort to help cherry growers in Washington state with LCD detection and mitigation;
- $4 million for potato breeding research—an increase of $1 million over FY22—to help Washington state potato growers compete in the global marketplace;
- $58 million to cover cost overruns on construction of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facilities, so that new state-of-the-art research facilities like the one planned for WSU’s Pullman campus can stay on track;
- $1 million in additional funding for the Barley Pest Initiative to support research on diseases that threaten barley production and utilization; and
- $750,000 for research and eradication efforts of the Northern Giant Hornet in Washington state, which will be used by the Washington State Department of Agriculture to monitor and eradicate this invasive species before it can establish in the United States.
Clean Energy Investments
Senator Murray worked hard to secure historic investments into renewable and clean energy, including a historic level of funding of $3.46 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), a $260 million increase over fiscal year 2022 levels. These funds will energize EERE’s efforts, from vehicle technologies, to hydrogen research and development, marine, wind, and solar energy, and weatherization assistance programs, and renewable grid integration. These programs are foundational to facilitating our nation’s ongoing transition to a clean energy economy. Further, this bill provides $89 million for the recently established Office of Clean Energy Demonstration, a $68 million increase over fiscal year 2022 levels. This program is aimed at deploying clean energy projects at scale to reduce our emissions. Senator Murray also secured $350 million for the Office of Electricity, a $73 million increase over FY22 funding levels, and will benefit the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as one of the leading labs on grid-scale energy storage technology development.
The bill provides $8.1 billion in new directed funding, $625 million over fiscal year 2022 levels, for the Office of Science. This funding will help implement the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, of which the PNNL is critical. It includes $65 million for PNNL’s Environmental and Molecular Science Laboratory, a $12 million increase over fiscal year 2022 levels. The bill also provides $75 million for the Indian Energy Policy and Programs and updates the Tribal Loan Guarantee Program to help Tribal Nations deploy clean energy. The funding and new loan authority will also provide new funds to start electrifying the 30,000 tribal homes that do not have access to power. The bill also includes $1.773 for Nuclear Energy research and development. This includes continued funding for the two advanced reactor demonstration projects and small modular reactors. The bill also supports a high-assay low-enriched uranium program for advanced reactor fuel development.
Climate and Marine Science Research Programs and Centers
Senator Murray also secured funds for critical climate and marine science research centers and programs at the University of Washington and across the country, including: $63 million for Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs), including the University of Washington’s Northwest CASC, which is $11.2 million above FY22 funding levels; and $80 million for the Sea Grant Program, which funds marine and coastal science programs at 33 universities across the country, including the University of Washington and is $4 million above the FY22 funding levels.
The bill also includes $27 million for marine energy technology testing sites, such as PNNL’s Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory in Sequim and $16.4 million to expand the Snow Telemetry Network (SNOTEL) which is a system used to collect data on weather conditions in high alpine environments, which is $7 million above FY22 funding levels.
Construction and Maintenance of Critical Washington State Waterways, Canals, Dams
Senator Murray was able to secure important funding for various Washington state projects that improve water storage, prevent flooding, and more:
- $1.81 billion for the Army Corps for the construction of projects like the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project;
- $5.08 billion for the operation and maintenance of dams, canals, and other projects across Washington state, which is $510 million above FY22 funding levels;
- $90 million for projects in Washington State through the Bureau of Reclamation, including $50 million to the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project and $21 million to the Columbia Basin Project, and urges implementation of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program.
- Language directing the Army Corps to prepare briefings, funding requirements, and flood control operations in consultation with the State Department as Columbia River Treaty negotiations continue.
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