59 



value of such programs, and will develop incentives for faculty and students in the 

 basic sciences to extend their works into the environmental field. 



This can be accomplished most effectively, in my view, if these faculty and stu- 

 dents from the basic sciences are linked with their counterparts in the applied 

 sciences and engineering in program projects or centers. We in academia need to 

 make some changes in the way we do business in order to make such crosscutting, 

 interdisciplinary efforts really work, but it can and should be done. 



Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to address you today. I would be 

 pleased to try to answer any of your questions. 



Statement of Ralph De Gennaro, Director, Appropriations Project, Friends 



of the Earth 



Mr. Chairman, thank you for the chance to appear before this Committee. My tes- 

 timony may be summarized as follows: 



1) Friends of the Earth supports the thrust and most provisions of S. 1545 as in- 

 troduced and urges swift enactment of legislation authorizing the basic R&D pro- 

 grams of EPA's Office of R&D. We urge that the final bill emphasize simplicity by 

 providing for a multi-year authorization of 3 to 5 years, setting a higher overall 

 funding level, and eliminating subcategories in the funding authorization. 



2) This bill should not be controversial. Parties on all sides of environmental de- 

 bates agree that better R&D makes for smarter environmental policies and a strong- 

 er U.S. green technology industry. Similarly, virtually all parties agree that EPA 

 needs more and better R&D. The main disagreements about environmental R&D do 

 not bear on the question of whether Congress enacts S. 1545 this year. 



3) More funding is needed and affordable. Numerous authorities have cited the 

 need for more funding for EPA's R&D programs, which could be paid for by cutting 

 unnecessary defense R&D. In the 15-year period between Fiscal Year 1980 and Fis- 

 cal Year 1995, defense R&D increased by 39 percent in constant dollars while EPA 

 R&D declined by 4 percent. 



4) Championing salaries and expenses funding would speed management reform. 

 The Environment and Public Works Committee could greatly improve EPA R&D by 

 championing more salaries and expenses funding before the Appropriations Commit- 

 tees and OMB. 



5) Remember that macro actions affecting the overall Federal budget — such as 

 protecting discretionary spending, cutting defense and capping entitlements — will 

 have an indirect but crucial impact on the EPA R&D budget over the next 5 years. 



6) Beware of easy answers to EPA's R&D budget needs. Weakening environ- 

 mental laws will not remove the need to understand emerging environmental prob- 

 lems. Similarly, reprioritizing EPA's currently inadequate budget according to risk 

 will not in itself free enough money to meet current funding needs. 



About Friends of the Earth and Its Appropriations Project 



My name is Ralph De Gennaro, and I testify today on behalf of the 15,000 mem- 

 bers and supporters of Friends of the Earth. We are a national environmental advo- 

 cacy organization founded in 1970 and headquartered here in Washington, D.C. We 

 have affiliates in over 50 countries. 



At Friends of the Earth, I have served as Director of the Appropriations Project 

 since 1990. The project's mission is to advocate a fundamental change in Federal 

 budget priorities to achieve adequate funding for Federal environmental programs 

 while cutting environmentally harmful spending and subsidies. In January 1993, 

 Friends of the Earth published Earth Budget: Making Our Tax Dollars Work for the 

 Environment, which I coauthored with Gawain Kripke of our staff. This 200-page 

 report presented a first-ever comprehensive survey and analysis of Federal environ- 

 mental spending in virtually all Federal agencies. The report has received signifi- 

 cant media attention, and has been used by key policymakers at the Office of Man- 

 agement and Budget, Office on Environmental Policy, Environmental Protection 

 Agency, Department of State and other Administration offices. Chapter 15 of the 

 Earth Budget report, entitled "Research and Development," presents an overview of 

 environmental R&D issues. 



