A new report outlines specific risks to Ohio if proposed federal budget cuts to the U.S. EPA become a reality.
TheEnvironmental Defense Fund studysays both tourism and public health would be impacted by the cuts, which range from programs to improve water quality to studies on the effects of air pollution.
Elgie Holstein with the Environmental Defense Fund says clean up of hazardous waste areas – known as SuperFund sites – would also be drastically reduced if the cuts go through.
“Ohio has 38 of these sites, but the Trump administration is proposing to cut 30 percent of the SuperFund program, almost 40 percent of the enforcement dollars under the program and an 18 percent cut for emergency response to deal with the most urgent threats," Holstein says.
Congress is expected to decide on the cuts before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.
