Yesterday House and Senate conferees approved $10.3 billion to fund EPA for FY 2010, a 36 percent boost over last year's levels.

The package is a compromise between the $10.2 billion allotted in the Senate-passed bill and the $10.6 billion in the House. President Obama recommended $10.5 billion for EPA in his FY 2010 budget request. Climate change programs at EPA, Interior and the Forest Service would receive $385 million under the conference report, a $155 million increase over 2009 levels.

The conference report also contains $113 million for LUST funding, much of which will be available to state agencies. This amount is consistent with the President’s request and the amount appropriated in the House bill, but one million dollars less than what was approved in the Senate. Petroleum marketers have now paid over three billion dollars into the LUST fund and continue to pay $140 million each year. To a great extent, the LUST tax has just become another federal tax used to support the overall EPA budget.

Also appropriated for EPA is $21 million to help meet the 36 billion gallon renewable fuels mandate and $17 million would go toward the agency's greenhouse gas registry. The Energy Star program would receive $51 million, and $10 million would be slated toward agency grants that encourage local communities to find ways to slash their greenhouse gas emissions.