Senate committee reviews Department of Environmental Quality budget; chemistry lab move, PFAS testing and tank fund database get one‑time costs

Bismarck — Department of Environmental Quality officials on Wednesday detailed their agency’s proposed budget for the 2025–27 biennium and asked the Senate Human Resources Appropriations Committee to approve Senate Bill 2024, which carries the agency’s funding request.

Beth Jacobson, director of accounting for the Department of Environmental Quality, told the committee the department’s recommended 2025 budget would be funded with about 15% general funds, 62% federal funds and 23% special funds, and that the executive recommendation “included $19,000,000 in general funds” largely to restore vacant FTE funding and support a compensation package.

Jacobson said salary and wages account for roughly $46 million (about 35% of the DEQ budget), operating expenses total about $21.8 million, capital assets roughly $4.4 million and grants/subawards about $60 million (45% of the agency budget). She described $5 million‑plus in one‑time funding in the executive recommendation, most of it tied to the new state chemistry laboratory and related startup costs.

Why it matters: The package includes one‑time costs that the DEQ says are necessary to move and outfit a modern laboratory and to stand up testing for…