CONGRESSMAN BISHOP OPPOSES FUNDING BILL THAT THREATENS CLEAN LIVING CONDITIONS FOR GEORGIANS, UNDERMINES AMERICA’S ENERGY INDEPENDENCE
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), a senior member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, opposed H.R. 4821, the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill.
“Today’s bill was an exercise in partisan politics and draconian cuts to funding levels last seen in 1991 to agencies and programs that have helped ensure cleaner living conditions for all Americans. If this funding bill were allowed to become law, we would run the risk of increasing incidences of asthma, cancer, and natural disasters. It also undermines America’s ability to develop more diverse domestic sources of energy so that we stay ahead of global energy competitors like China, and we are not beholden to oil cartels,” said Congressman Bishop. “The bill slashes funds to the National Park Service. Middle and Southwest Georgia are home to several National Park sites and this bill means fewer Americans will be able to enjoy this country’s splendor, job layoffs for Georgia’s National Parks employees, fewer visitors to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, Andersonville, and the Ocmulgee Mounds, which also hurts local businesses who benefit from this tourism.”
In particular, the bill cuts funding from the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds for Georgia from $24,453,000 to only $2,178,598. This would represent a disastrous cut to a program that has provided reliable water and wastewater services to nearly 900,000 Georgians through Fiscal-Year-2022-funded projects alone. According to the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, it funded 28 Clean Water State Revolving Fund loans totaling $173.5 million and 26 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loans totaling $48.4 million, made possible by these federal funds and program.
The bill also cuts $7.8 billion from the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund which cripples our nation’s ability to tackle the climate crisis at a time when we are seeing an increase in frequency and destruction by climate-affected natural disasters like wildfires, droughts, floods, and severe storms – including in Middle and Southwest Georgia.
Ironically, the bill would at the same time eliminate the funding to support wildland firefighters and their families through better compensation, safe housing, and health and well-being assistance. Without this funding, firefighters will lose the compensation increases first provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at the end of this year.
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