President Obama's newly unveiled budge proposal contains a number of provisions that would increase water pollution grants, according to reports.

The Obama Administration released its budget proposal for the fiscal year 2013 on Monday. The president is hoping to frame the election year debate with the budget proposal, analysts said. The president is urging public officials to pass the bill, which would effectively reduce the annual operating budgets of a number of government-financed organizations.

The president recommended decreasing the operating budget of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to $8.3 billion, a reduction of $105 million from fiscal year 2012. Critics protested the administration's decision, noting that the cuts would primarily affect state wastewater treatment and drinking water funding.

The EPA has introduced a number of clean water regulations over the past few years that backers contend have helped improve water quality by requiring municipal wastewater treatment facilities to reduce phosphorous and nitrogen concentrations in effluent. The EPA has also helped oversee cleanup efforts at the Chesapeake Bay, which will help improve water quality throughout the mid-Atlantic, according to experts.

The Obama Administration's budget proposal would increase funding for the ongoing cleanup efforts, Bloomberg reports. What's more, it would maintain financing levels for underground storage tank programs and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which aims to improve overall water quality in the four water sources. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said that the reduction in funding was part of a "government-wide effort to reduce spending and find cost savings."

"It demonstrates the fiscal responsibility called for at this moment,” she said. “Some difficult choices are being made in this budget."

The budget proposal must still be approved by federal lawmakers.

Posted on February 15th, 2012 under Agricultural Runoff, Wastewater News, Water Regulations