Senate appropriators have quietly proposed shuffling millions of infrastructure law dollars from two popular environmental remediation programs to federal firefighting initiatives.
The Senate’s fiscal 2026 Interior-Environment bill would redirect $250 million in unobligated funds for getting lead out of drinking water and about $515 million for cleaning up abandoned mines toward the Interior Department’s Wildland Fire Management Office.
Repurposing of previously appropriated funds is common in spending bills. But the Senate’s proposal to slash federal programs directed at eradicating lead pipes and abandoned mines — both of which threaten drinking water and the environment — is riling conservation and public health advocates.
If the proposal is enacted, EPA would have $2.75 billion next year to help cities and towns replace water pipes made of lead, instead of $3 billion as authorized under the 2021 infrastructure law.
