The Biden administration released its fiscal 2025 budget proposal Monday, calling for an 8.4% increase in the U.S. EPA's budget over 2023 and additional funding for several waste-related initiatives.

The increase would bring the EPA’s total budget to about $11 billion for the year, much higher than the $9.2 billion just approved by Congress, according to E&E News. The 2025 budget would kick in this October and also now must be approved by Congress.

Last year, the agency was busy handing out historic levels of funding for waste and recycling projects around the country. Those opportunities, many of which were funded by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act, will continue to roll over into the new year.

Overall funding for the EPA would be ramped up by Biden’s 2025 budget to support the agency’s critical duties, adding more than 2,000 full-time employees to the agency. It would build on investments made by previous stimulus packages and continue to invest in cleanup initiatives like the Superfund program.

The administration touted the economy's recovery under Biden since he entered office, noting the economy has added 15 million jobs in a fact sheet accompanying the budget release. Among other revenue-raising measures, the administration is proposing to increase the corporate tax rate to 28% and increase the corporate minimum tax rate for corporations reporting more than $1 billion in profits to shareholders from 15% to 21%.

In addition to the enhanced EPA funding, the administration also announced other budget items with relevance to the waste and recycling industry:

• The budget would set aside about $170 million to continue addressing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances through the agency's PFAS Strategic Roadmap. First announced in 2021, the road map has guided policy on the chemicals. The administration most recently proposed designating PFOS and PFOA as hazardous substances and indicated it could finalize drinking water standards for six PFAS chemicals this year.
• The budget proposes an increase in funding for compliance monitoring efforts and implementation of the administration’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives. The administration recently named landfill emissions plumes as a focus of the NECIs for the next four years, sparking concern from the waste industry about more aggressive enforcement.
• The administration’s budget noted funding to support the next five-year reauthorization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s budget, known as the farm bill. While Biden’s budget didn’t include specific funding numbers for the bill, its listed priorities include reducing food loss and waste, a top issue for those in the organics space.
• To reach its $2.9 billion topline budget for the Superfund program, the administration proposes $661 million in funding to supplement about $2.2 billion in expected Superfund tax revenue for 2025. The program saw its funding slashed in the fiscal year 2024 budget.
• The budget would double down on the administration’s environmental justice efforts, investing $1.5 billion across various EPA programs. It would also fund the newly established Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.