Press Releases

In response to the release of President Joe Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget, House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chair Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement:

“Budgets are a reflection of our values. President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget proposal offers a transformative investment in American lives, helping us emerge from the past 14 months of crisis and better prepare for our future,” said Pingree. “As Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, I’m particularly pleased to see the Biden administration taking a whole-of-government approach to tackle the climate crisis, protect our environment and public lands, and promote equity in the process. After years of chronic federal underinvestment, this is the moment to go big. I’m looking forward to working with the Administration and my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to craft a budget that reflects this proposal and invests in our nation’s future.”

As Chair of the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Pingree oversees funding for the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI). The proposal includes an increase of $2.5 billion for DOI to expand the department’s role in renewable energy production on public lands and increase the department’s workforce by nearly 4,000 people. The Fiscal Year 2022 budget proposal also includes a 22% funding increase for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to bolster climate programs, environmental justice, and clean water infrastructure. As a whole, the budget invests $36 billion in climate change mitigation and response—including jobs, clean energy incentives, and research—and slashes $100 billion in tax credits for the fossil fuel industry.

Pingree, a longtime organic farmer and author of the Agriculture Resilience Act, has also called for an increase in climate funding at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA). Under President Biden’s FY22 budget, USDA would see unprecedented investment in climate change mitigation and research, empowering farmers and ranchers to adapt to and mitigate the climate crisis. 

Pingree has served on the House Appropriations Committee for the past seven years and was elected Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee in January 2021. As Chair, she oversees discretionary spending for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, US Forest Service, and several agencies related to the arts and humanities.

###