DEEP DIVE: U.S. EPA Officials, Lawmakers Walk Tightrope to Balance Climate, Energy Concerns in FY25 Budget Requests

**EPA Administrator Michael Regan, right, greets Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Or.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.) after a Senate Appropriations Commitee meeting May 1. (Stefan Modrich / 3E).

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Summary 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials view the Biden Administration’s funding requests of $11 billion for the 2025 fiscal year as an opportunity to rebuild the agency after a fallow period for regulatory activity during the Trump Administration.

The agency plans to hire 2,000 new full-time employees as and provide updated guidance and data on several of its priorities as designated by its strategic roadmap for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) EPA Administrator Michael Regan said during a 1 May 2024 meeting of the Senate Appropriations’ Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. EPA also intends to ramp up efforts to recycle textiles and reduce methane emissions, Regan said during his two days of testimony in front of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committees.