BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Legal Newsline) —New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has warned that President Trump's proposed budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be disastrous for New York State.
According to Schneiderman's March 21 statement, President Trump’s cuts could slow, halt or even reverse environmental protection projects underway in New York. The EPA’s funding would be reduced by 31 percent under the budget cuts, causing the loss of 50 programs and 3,200 jobs. Additionally, the EPA’s ability to fund Superfund sites would be reduced by 30 percent, Schneiderman said, and New York has 85 current Superfund sites.
“President Trump's proposed budget cuts would have a devastating impact on New York – delaying and obstructing environmental projects around the state,” the attorney general said. “Decades of hard work have helped clean up New York's air, water and environment. But President Trump's budget threatens to unravel those gains and send us back to the bad old days of choking smog and rampant pollution. As we've made clear: if the Trump administration won't meet its legal obligations to ensure basic access to a clean, safe and healthy environment, we won't hesitate to act to protect New Yorkers.”