President Trump's proposed 2019 budget calls for eliminating 14 environmental programs that focus on conservation, climate change and sustainable practices, some of which would impact rural areas, John Platt reports for Reader Supported News.
One is the Abandoned Mine Land Grants program, which helps clean and redevelop former coal mines. The $105 million budget for this program comes from fees paid by coal operators on each ton mined. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will likely defend the AML, so it's unlikely to be eliminated.
Another program slated for removal is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service, which provides financial, technical and educational support for rural entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses in the agriculture and outdoor recreation industries, especially those that employ sustainable practices or use renewable energy. The service, which has a $103 million budget, also seeks to increase access to rural broadband.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is also on the chopping block again. Trump tried to kill the popular program last year because he said it was rife with fraud and abuse, but encountered resistance from Congress. In October he released nearly $3 billion, or 90 percent of its funding. The program provides assistance for heating bills for poor families via grants to utilities, and has a budget of $3.39 billion.
The Chemical Safety Board would be eliminated, to the tune of $11 million. It investigates major industrial accidents, such as the 2014 chemical spill that tainted drinking water in West Virginia, or the explosion at a natural gas well in Oklahoma this January.
One is the Abandoned Mine Land Grants program, which helps clean and redevelop former coal mines. The $105 million budget for this program comes from fees paid by coal operators on each ton mined. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will likely defend the AML, so it's unlikely to be eliminated.
Another program slated for removal is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service, which provides financial, technical and educational support for rural entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses in the agriculture and outdoor recreation industries, especially those that employ sustainable practices or use renewable energy. The service, which has a $103 million budget, also seeks to increase access to rural broadband.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is also on the chopping block again. Trump tried to kill the popular program last year because he said it was rife with fraud and abuse, but encountered resistance from Congress. In October he released nearly $3 billion, or 90 percent of its funding. The program provides assistance for heating bills for poor families via grants to utilities, and has a budget of $3.39 billion.
The Chemical Safety Board would be eliminated, to the tune of $11 million. It investigates major industrial accidents, such as the 2014 chemical spill that tainted drinking water in West Virginia, or the explosion at a natural gas well in Oklahoma this January.
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