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Environment department seeks funding for private‑well testing, uranium cleanup and food‑safety staffing amid enforcement backlog
Summary
Environment Department leaders told the Appropriations & Finance Committee they need additional recurring and special funding to expand enforcement capacity, support private well testing after fire impacts and continue uranium mine cleanup; they also highlighted recent gains in digitization and said the department returned substantial civil penalties to the general fund in recent years.
Environment Department officials told the Appropriations & Finance Committee on Jan. 14 that staffing and fee structures constrain their ability to inspect regulated sources and complete enforcement actions, and asked lawmakers to consider a mix of recurring and special funding for priority programs.
Secretary Zachary (lead testimony) said the department’s general fund has risen since 2019, but that many programs remain heavily fee‑funded. He described a compliance and enforcement division with recent increases in resources but cited low inspection rates in some program areas: a committee member noted only 6% of certain emitting sources were inspected in the most recent reporting year. The secretary said the department’s LFC request included roughly $3.5 million in general fund support for the compliance and enforcement division to hire inspectors, but that the division’s total budget is supported substantially by fees and federal grants.
Officials asked the committee to consider several special appropriations: $20 million (LFC) or $10 million (executive) for neglected and abandoned uranium mine remediation; $4.5 million to expand private well testing and intervention after wildfire impacts; and $5 million for the food program, which officials said faces fee caps and a projected $2 million shortfall this fiscal year. The secretary highlighted successful digitization (tens of millions of pages scanned) and an internal AI agent deployed to improve staff response times.
Committee action: the committee adopted the LFC recommendation for the Environment Department’s recurring budget. Members pressed the secretary on enforcement backlogs and asked the department to pursue fee adjustments at the Environmental Improvement Board to support inspections and permitting capacity.
What’s next: the private well testing request and uranium cleanup funds will be considered in the special appropriations session.
