April has been tumultuous for US environmental policy observers. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) authority to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions came under fire in the House and the Senate before policymakers scrambled to agree on a budget bill or face a partial government shutdown. The Republicans have made rescinding the agency’s GHG authority a top priority, introducing multiple capacity-stripping bills.

On April 6 the Senate defeated four proposals which either delayed or blocked the agency from controlling GHGs under the Clean Air Act. All of the proposals found 50 votes of support, falling just short of the 60 required to pass. Prior to the votes the White House released a statement warning lawmakers that President Obama would veto any bills limiting the EPA’s GHG authority. While in the past the White House has alluded to the President’s intentions to veto such initiatives, this was the first formal confirmation.

In a conflicting decision on April 7, a bipartisan group within the House of Representatives approved a bill 255-172 ending the EPA’s authority to regulate GHGs. The failure of the Senate bills effectively supersedes the House’s decision, as the Democratic majority in the Senate is expected to continue to defeat any legislation revoking EPA authority.

The EPA faces a new challenge since an April 12 spending announcement of budget cuts which prevented a partial government shutdown. Due to the last minute deal the agency finds itself facing $1.6 billion in cuts – 16% of its entire 2010 budget. In light of overall governmental fiscal restraint EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson had previously reduced the agency’s budget request for 2012 to just under US$9 billion. In the request Jackson emphasized the EPA’s priorities of reducing GHG emissions, improving water quality and improving environmental health and protection. It remains to be seen how such a cut and the conflicting legislative verdicts will affect agency operations.