Newswise — "Engineers play a critical role in research and technology development to address environmental challenges, from air pollution to water management to sustainable energy systems," stated ASME President Terry E. Shoup, Ph.D., P.E., in testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment on the importance of federal environmental research programs.
Citing the value of the Environmental Protection Agency's science and technology programs, particularly those of the Office of Research and Development (ORD), Shoup told the subcommittee, in a position statement dated April 19, that ASME recommends that the EPA's FY08 budget be increased by a minimum of $5.7 million to a level of $542 million, which will allow the budget to at least keep pace with inflation.
Noting that the EPA's science and technology programs are important to achieving the agency's objectives in a sound, sustainable and cost-effective manner, Shoup pointed out that the EPA's "research has contributed to finding alternatives to toxicological testing on animals, fine-tuning particulate matter pollution regulations, evaluating the impact of dioxins on human health, and providing grants to young people for environmental research."
Shoup noted that the Bush Administration's Fiscal Year 2008 budget request for the EPA's ORD programs is $754.5 million, which is 1.3 percent less than the FY07 appropriated amount of $765 million. He urged the subcommittee to support an increase in the agency's core research activities.
"The number of environmental and sustainability challenges ahead of us have grown more numerous and more complex, but we are not providing adequate support for the research and technology evaluation activities that will allow us to understand and respond to these issues," Shoup told the subcommittee.
He went on to say that a FY08 budget increase for ORD will assist the EPA in providing critical support to engineers and scientists to find practical solutions to today's environmental challenges.
Dr. Shoup's testimony was based on the position statement released by the ASME EPA Task Force of the Environmental Engineering Division on the EPA FY08 budget request. The ASME position statement is available online at http://www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/PositionStatements/
The Task Force believes that this increase request is necessary to preserve EPA's important contribution to the research and evaluation of important new environmental technology that can meet the challenges of our major natural resource and policy issues.
Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences. ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the engineering and technology community.
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