P.L. 114-113 ( H.R. 2029 ) , the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 201 6 , was signed into law on December 18, 2015. The act i ncluded all 12 regular appropriations acts . P.L. 114-113 provided a total of $8.14 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) in Title II of Di vision G —Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 201 6 . The total EPA appropriation for FY201 6 was the same as enacted for FY2015 but $451.8 million (5.3%) below the President's FY2016 request of $8.59 billion . No regular Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bills for FY2016 were passed by the House or Senate prior to the end of the fiscal year, although bills were reported in both chambers. The House Committee on Appropriations reported H.R. 2822 for the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies on June 18, 2015, and proposed $7.42 billion for EPA for FY2016. The Senate Committee on Appropriations reported S. 1645 on June 23, 2015, and proposed a total of $7.60 billion for EPA. Although both committees proposed decreases below the FY2016 request and the FY2015 enacted appropriations, some individual program activities funded within EPA's appropriations accounts would have received increases or, in some cases, would have remained the same. The House and Senate bills were reported prior to the November 2, 2015, passage of the budget agreement, which increased discretionary spending limits. Continued adherence to the discretionary spending limits codified in the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA; P.L. 112-25 ) as amended for FY2016 was an issue of broad concern and debate. The initial FY2016 budget resolution ( S.Con.Res. 11 , H.Rept. 114-96 ) and appropriations committees' 302(b) allocations adhered to BCA discretionary spending limits codified at that time. As enacted November 2, 2015, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 ( P.L. 114-74 ; H.R. 1314 ), in part, raised both the nonsecurity (nondefense) and security (defense) statutory discretionary spending limits for FY2016 and FY2017. The allocation of funding for EPA and most other departments and agencies within the increased spending limits was left to the appropriations process. This report provides a brief timeline of congressional action on EPA FY2016 appropriations, EPA funding background, and an overview of FY2016 funding amounts for each EPA account as enacted, proposed in the House and Senate committee-reported bills and contained in the President's FY2016 budget request, and enacted for FY2015. The report also examines funding levels and relevant issues for selected EPA programs and activities within various accounts. P.L. 114-113 and the Explanatory Statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (issued in the December 17, 2015, Congressional Record ) are the primary sources of information presented in this report for the FY2016 enacted appropriations, the President's FY2016 budget request, and the FY2015 enacted appropriations, unless otherwise specified. Information regarding the House and Senate committee-reported bills is from their accompanying reports. Additional information presented in this report was obtained from the EPA's FY2016 Justification of Appropriation Estimates for the Committee on Appropriations (referred to throughout this report as the EPA FY2016 Congressional Justification), and the President's Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2016 , issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). With the exception of the historical funding (FY1976-present) presented in Figure 2 , the enacted appropriations for prior fiscal years presented throughout this report have not been adjusted for inflation in order to maintain consistency with cited sources. Appropriation issues are complex, and accordingly not all issues are summarized in this report. Further, the appropriations bills and accompanying committee reports identify funding levels for numerous programs, activities, and sub-activities for which the program details are beyond the scope of this report. Table 1 summarizes the chronology of proposed and enacted appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies FY2016 appropriations. Earlier in the 114 th Congress, House and Senate appropriations and oversight committees held hearings on the President's FY2016 request for EPA (see Appendix C ). Title II of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016— H.R. 2822 ( H.Rept. 114-170 ), as reported June 18, 2015, by the House Committee on Appropriations—included $7.42 billion for EPA for FY2016. The total as reported would have reduced funding for EPA by $1.17 billion (13.6%) below the President's FY2016 request of $8.59 billion and $717.7 million (8.8%) below the FY2015 enacted appropriation of $8.14 billion. In a June 23, 2015, Statement of Administration Policy, the Administration "strongly opposed" passage of H.R. 2822 . The House debated H.R. 2822 on the floor beginning June 25, 2015, through July 8, 2015. Of the 166 amendments offered, 57 were agreed to as of July 8, 2015, including a number regarding EPA funding and regulatory actions. Consideration of the bill was postponed on July 8, 2015, pending an agreement on amendments concerning the display and sale of the Confederate flag at National Park Service units. No further action ensued. The Senate Appropriations Committee's June 23, 2015, reported bill, S. 1645 ( S.Rept. 114-70 ), included $7.60 billion for EPA for FY2016, $994.3 million (11.6%) below the FY2016 request and $542.5 million (6.7%) less than the FY2015 enacted level. S. 1645 was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar, but floor consideration had not been scheduled. Enacted September 30, 2015, P.L. 114-53 ( H.R. 719 ), the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2016 (continuing resolution or CR), appropriated funds to EPA and other federal departments and agencies until December 11, 2015, or the enactment of appropriations subsequent to P.L. 114-53 . Under the CR, most projects and program activities, including EPA's, were funded at FY2015 levels reduced by a 0.2108% across-the board rescission, unless otherwise specified in the act. No exceptions to the across-the-board rescission were specified for EPA in the CR. For the duration of the CR, FY2016 funding for EPA was under the authority and the terms and conditions for FY2015 as contained in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (Division F of P.L. 113-235 , Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015). Consideration of the enacted FY2016 appropriations for EPA and other federal departments and agencies were subject to the higher limits on discretionary spending enacted November 2, 2015, in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 ( P.L. 114-74 ; H.R. 1314 ). The statute amended the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to increase the discretionary spending limits for FY2016 and FY2017 and revised procedures for implementing the sequester of direct spending. The new budget authority for FY2016 as specified in Section 101 of Title I was $518.49 billion for the revised nonsecurity category and $548.09 billion for the revised security category. Prior to the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, the House and Senate adopted the FY2016 concurrent budget resolution ( S.Con.Res. 11 , H.Rept. 114-96 ) on May 5, 2015. The concurrent resolution provided the initial framework for the consideration of the FY2016 appropriations prior to P.L. 114-74 ( H.R. 1314 ). S.Con.Res. 11 also included budgetary levels for FY2017-FY2025. In this annual budget resolution that is intended to guide the annual appropriations process, EPA is included within Budget Function 300 for Natural Resources and Environment, along with the Department of the Interior and other agencies. The FY2016 budget resolution adhered to the discretionary spending limits codified as part of the BCA as amended. Continued adherence to the limits established under the BCA as amended for deliberation of the FY2016 appropriations was an issue of considerable concern and debate. Some Members urged consideration and passage of alternative legislation. The conference agreement on the budget resolution for FY2016 included language proposed in the Senate version that addressed a number of EPA's regulatory activities. The findings contained in Section 6208 of Title VI, Subtitle B, in the concurrent resolution S.Con.Res. 11 , "Policy Statement on Federal Regulatory Reform," included an expression of concerns with the regulatory cost of EPA rules with particular references to EPA's proposed rule to control carbon emissions from power plants. Title IV, Subtitle B, "Reserve Funds in the Senate," provides deficit-neutral and spending-neutral reserve funds for certain EPA activities such as the "reform" of environmental statutes, jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act (CWA), EPA regulations that would "reduce the reliability of the electricity grid," and regulation of carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the Clean Air Act (CAA). While such provisions in budget resolutions are not law, they serve as a gauge of the issues of concern among Members of Congress and the possibility of potential further action by Congress. The FY2016 concurrent resolution, S.Con.Res.