25 



Finally, we need a better apparatus within our R&D establish- 

 ment to encourage the support of new environmental professionals, 

 that is, students. I am pleased to see that there is in the bill under 

 discussion some provision for graduate assistance. My feeling is 

 that this program needs to be substantially expanded. There really 

 are not appropriate and sufficient programs within the Federal es- 

 tablishment to support talented young people who want to go into 

 the environmental field. Only approximately 60 percent of the stu- 

 dents in our department are supported at the present time and 

 many of them are supported inadequately. These are all graduate 

 students who are pursuing their degrees. Of course, we are then in 

 competition with other fields of science where more substantial 

 support is available. 



All I would say is that that means that in the long run we are 

 not getting talented people into the field that we would get and 

 that we desperately need. 



Thank you very much for the opportunity to appear before you 

 today. 



Senator Reid. Thank you very much for taking the time to be 

 with us. 



Mr. DeGennaro? 



STATEMENT OF RALPH DeGENNARO, DIRECTOR, 

 APPROPRIATIONS PROJECTS, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH 



Mr. DeGENNARO. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for the 

 opportunity to testify here today. 



Senator Reid. You are our money expert today. 



Mr. DeGennaro. Yes. I will not pretend to be a scientist. I think 

 I know a lot about the Federal budget. I have also testified twice 

 on EPA R&D before the House Science, Space, and Technology 

 Committee. So I have followed the debate over the years. 



I am testifying today on behalf of the 15,000 members and sup- 

 porters of Friends of the Earth. 



Senator Reid. I don't think they answered my letter either. 



Mr. DeGennaro. On immigration — it is a good question. I was 

 yelled at 2 weeks ago by somebody because environmentalists have 

 been advocating some of the positions you have mentioned here 

 today. I intend to look into it because it is an interesting debate. 

 I personally have not been involved, but it is a very interesting de- 

 bate. 



At Friends of the Earth, I have served as director of the appro- 

 priations project since 1990. It is a project which is unique in the 

 environmental community in that it focuses solely on Federal budg- 

 et issues. Our mission is to achieve adequate Federal funding for 

 Federal environmental programs and to reduce environmentally 

 harmful spending and subsidies. 



In January of 1993, Friends of the Earth published the Earth 

 Budget report, which I coauthored, a first-ever comprehensive sur- 

 vey of Federal spending on the environment in virtually every Fed- 

 eral agency, everything from Amtrak to Antarctica, Boston Harbor 

 to the ozone layer. 



Friends of the Earth supports most of the provisions of S. 1545 

 as introduced. We urge swift enactment of this legislation authoriz- 

 ing the basic and fundamental R&D programs of EPA. 



