Republican Members



-914400-93345000 April 10, 2019TO:NACAA Air Directors Congress will soon begin work on FY 2020 appropriations, including federal grants to state and local air agencies. It will be difficult to ensure adequate grant funding without your help. It is essential that state and local air pollution control agencies make a strong case to Congress about the need for increases in federal grants to state and local air agencies. This should be done soon since Congressional leaders hope to act in the coming weeks and months to address FY 2020 appropriations legislation.The FY 2019 budget maintained the funding for clean air agency grants to the same level as in prior years ($228 million). The Administration’s FY 2020 budget request to Congress calls for steep cuts in funding to EPA, including a 33-percent reduction in federal grants to state and local air pollution control agencies under Sections 103 and 105 of the Clean Air Act (for a total of $152 million). Such cuts would be devastating for many programs. Federal grants to state and local air quality agencies are the same now as they were 15 years ago in FY 2004 – $228 million. If the FY 2004 figure is adjusted for inflation, level funding would translate to approximately $310 million in today’s dollars. Therefore, NACAA is recommending that Congress increase state and local air grants by $82 million above FY 2019 levels (i.e., approximately $158 million above the Administration’s FY 2020 request), for a total of $310 million. This amount would constitute merely level funding from 14 years ago.It is especially important that agencies with Representatives or Senators on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees or the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittees contact their delegations as soon as possible and urge that they communicate with the chairs and ranking members of the House/Senate Appropriations Committees and/or the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, as appropriate. We are providing you with information for you to use to request that Congress adopt legislation that increases federal grants to state and local air pollution control agencies. This information includes a model letter and a list of the full committee and subcommittee members.If the members of your Congressional delegation are not on the committees or subcommittees, it is still important that you contact them and ask them to convey immediately to the subcommittees the need for increased funding for Section 103/105 grants. If you are unable to send a letter to your Congressional delegations, it would still be very useful for you to send an informal email or telephone their offices. Some of the attached information would be helpful background for those communications.The information includes the following materials:a model letter to help you prepare your own correspondence to Congress. We urge you to restate the information in your own words to highlight the details of your area. If your letter is not directed to a member of the committee or subcommittee, you may wish to send a copy to the committee and subcommittee chairs; anda list of the members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees and Subcommittees on Interior, Environment, and Independent Agencies. The addresses of the subcommittee and committee chairs are included. Email addresses for only the subcommittees are publicly available. If you have contacts within the individual offices, you may wish to email your correspondence. Your voice matters. Please contact your representatives and/or ask your local board members or agency heads to contact your Congressional members. When you send a letter to a Member of Congress on this issue, please provide Mary Sullivan Douglas of the NACAA Headquarters with a copy as well. If you have any questions, please contact Mary at (202) 624-7864 or mdouglas@.April 10, 2019Model Letter to Individual Members of Congress from State and Local Agencies[Brackets and underlining indicate spaces for agency- or area-specific information.]Dear [Senator or Representative]:State and local clean air agencies carry out essential programs to reduce air pollution and protect public health. We appreciate the efforts of Congress in recent years to recognize this important work by averting budget cuts to these agencies that would have been devastating for our programs. The fact is, however, that state and local air agencies require additional funding, not less, to do our critical work. Unfortunately, the Administration’s FY 2020 budget request calls for a 33-percent reduction in federal grants to state and local air pollution control agencies under Sections 103 and 105 of the Clean Air Act (CAA), for a total of $152 million. Such cuts would profoundly harm our ability to carry out our important public health responsibilities.Federal grants to state and local air quality agencies are the same now as they were 15 years ago in FY 2004 – $228 million. If adjusted for inflation, level funding would translate to approximately $310 million in today’s dollars. Therefore, we ask Congress to increase state and local air grants by $82 million above FY 2018 levels (i.e., approximately $158 million above the Administration’s request), for a total of $310 million. While the air has gotten cleaner, air pollution is still very much a serious public health problem in this country. Each year it causes tens of thousands of premature deaths and millions of cases of adverse health impacts, including cancer and damage to respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and reproductive systems. It is the job of state and local air quality agencies to put in place and operate the programs required by the federal Clean Air Act. These responsibilities include, among others, monitoring, planning, modeling, compiling emission inventories, adopting regulations, analyzing data and inspecting facilities. In [name of state or area], for example, we are particularly concerned about [insert specific information about local air quality concerns]. Accordingly, we [insert details about the programs agency is working on].Federal grants for state and local air quality agencies have been inadequate for many years. Nationwide, federal grants support merely 25 percent of state and local air quality programs, even though the original terms of the Clean Air Act envisioned EPA funding up to 60 percent. Moreover, the grants have not kept up with inflation and our responsibilities and costs have increased. Because of these deficits, state and local agencies struggle to continue critical air quality programs. [Name of state or area], [provide specific, concrete examples of how a lack of Section 105 grants has hurt your program. If possible, provide concrete evidence of how this has affected air quality or public health.] Additional cuts of the magnitude proposed by the Administration would be devastating to our program and our ability to protect public health.We at [name of agency] work tirelessly to improve air quality, but sufficient federal funding is critical. Please ensure that federal grants to state and local air quality agencies are increased at least to keep pace with inflation. Specifically, grants in the amount of $310 million ($158 million above the Administration’s FY 2020 request) would constitute merely level funding from FY 2004 levels, adjusted for inflation. I would be glad to answer any questions you have or provide more information. Thank you for any assistance you can offer.Sincerely,cc:Chairs of Appropriations CommitteesChairs of Interior, Environment, and Independent Agencies SubcommitteesHouse and Senate Appropriations Committees116th Congress (as of April 10, 2019)House Appropriations CommitteeDemocratic MembersNita Lowey?(D-NY) - ChairMarcy Kaptur?(D-OH) Peter Visclosky?(D-IN)José Serrano?(D-NY)Rosa DeLauro?(D-CT)David Price?(D-NC)Lucille Roybal-Allard?(D-CA)Sanford Bishop?(D-GA)Barbara Lee?(D-CA)Betty McCollum?(D-MN)Tim Ryan?(D-OH)C. Ruppersberger?(D-MD)?Debbie Wasserman Schultz?(D-FL)?Henry Cuellar?(D-TX)Chellie Pingree?(D-ME)Mike Quigley?(D-IL)Derek Kilmer?(D-WA)Matt Cartwright?(D-PA)Grace Meng?(D-NY)Mark Pocan?(D-WI)Katherine Clark?(D-MA)Pete Aguilar?(D-CA)?Lois Frankel?(D-FL)Cheri Bustos?(D-IL)?Bonnie Watson Coleman?(D-NJ)?Brenda Lawrence?(D-MI)?Norma Torres?(D-CA)?Charlie Crist?(D-FL)?Ann Kirkpatrick?(D-AZ)?Ed Case?(D-HI)?Address of ChairThe Honorable Nita Lowey, ChairHouse Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of RepresentativesH-307 U.S. CapitolWashington, D.C. 20515Republican MembersKay Granger?(R-TX) – Ranking MemberHarold Rogers?(R-KY)? Robert Aderholt?(R-AL)?Michael Simpson?(R-ID)?John Carter?(R-TX)?Ken Calvert?(R-CA)?Tom Cole?(R-OK)?Mario Diaz-Balart?(R-FL)?Tom Graves?(R-GA)?Steve Womack?(R-AR)?Jeff Fortenberry?(R-NE)?Charles Fleischmann?(R-TN)?Jaime Herrera Beutler?(R-WA)?David Joyce?(R-OH)?Andy Harris?(R-MD)?Martha Roby?(R-AL)?Mark Amodei?(R-NV)?Chris Stewart?(R-UT)?Steven Palazzo?(R-MS)?Dan Newhouse?(R-WA)?John Moolenaar?(R-MI)?John Rutherford?(R-FL)?Will Hurd?(R-TX)?House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesDemocratsBetty McCollum (D-MN), ChairChellie Pingree (D-ME)Derek Kilmer (D-WA)José Serrano (D-NY)Mike Quigley (D-IL)Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)Brenda Lawrence (D-MI)Address of ChairThe Honorable Betty McCollum, ChairSubcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesU.S. House of RepresentativesRayburn House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515INApprop.detailee@mail.RepublicansDavid Joyce (R-OH), Ranking MemberMike Simpson (R-ID)Chris Stewart (R-UT)Mark Amodei (R-NV Generic Address for other RepresentativesThe Honorable [name of representative]United States House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515Senate Appropriations CommitteeRepublican MembersRICHARD C. SHELBY (Alabama), ChairmanMITCH MCCONNELL (Kentucky)LAMAR ALEXANDER (Tennessee)SUSAN COLLINS (Maine)LISA MURKOWSKI (Alaska)LINDSEY GRAHAM (South Carolina)ROY BLUNT (Missouri)JERRY MORAN (Kansas)JOHN HOEVEN (North Dakota)JOHN BOOZMAN (Arkansas)SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (West Virginia)JOHN KENNEDY (Louisiana)CINDY HYDE-SMITH (Mississippi)STEVE DAINES (Montana)MARCO RUBIO (Florida)JAMES LANKFORD (Oklahoma)Address of ChairmanThe Honorable Richard ShelbyChairmanSenate Committee on AppropriationsU.S. SenateThe Capitol, S-128Washington, DC 20510Democratic MembersPATRICK J. LEAHY (Vermont) – Vice ChairmanPATTY MURRAY (Washington)DIANNE FEINSTEIN (California)RICHARD J. DURBIN (Illinois)JACK REED (Rhode Island)JON TESTER (Montana)TOM UDALL (New Mexico)JEANNE SHAHEEN (New Hampshire)JEFF MERKLEY (Oregon)CHRIS COONS (Delaware)BRIAN SCHATZ (Hawaii)TAMMY BALDWIN (Wisconsin)CHRISTOPHER MURPHY (Connecticut)JOE MANCHIN (West Virginia)CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (Maryland)Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesRepublican Subcommittee MembersLisa Murkowski (AK) (Chair)Lamar Alexander (TN)Roy Blunt (MO)Mitch McConnell (KY)Shelley Moore Capito (WV)Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS)Steve Daines (MT)Marco Rubio (FL)Address of ChairThe Honorable Lisa MurkowskiChairSubcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesU.S. SenateDirksen Office Building, SD-131Washington, DC 20510int@appro.Democratic Subcommittee MembersTom Udall (NM) (Ranking Member)Dianne Feinstein (CA)Patrick Leahy (VT)Jack Reed (RI)Jon Tester (MT)Jeff Merkley (OR)Chris Van Hollen (MD)Generic Address for other senatorsThe Honorable [name of senator]United States SenateWashington, DC 20515 ................
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