US president Donald Trump has finally unveiled his proposed budget for fiscal 2018. Originally outlined in March, the proposals would slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget by 31.4% to $5.6 billion from $8.2 billion in fiscal 2017. This is EPA’s smallest budget in 40 years and includes plans to close 50 programs and reduce the agency’s workforce of 15,000 by at least 3,000.

There are significant cuts to research programs as well as those enforcing clean air and water. Research and development faces one of the largest cuts with Trump planning to shed about half of the budget, namely $234 million. The White House said this would free the program to concentrate on statutory requirements and basic research on environment and human health.

Funds to enable enforcement against polluting companies have been axed by more than $129 million, or 23%, with some of the enforcement delegated to states. The government said the budget allows the agency to maintain a core enforcement oversight role, but eliminates duplication of actions by states. However, observers said a cut of this magnitude could cripple the EPA and states would not be able to step in to fill the gap.

Money has been scrapped for the Greenhouse Gas Reporting program, used to track carbon dioxide and other emissions, and the agency’s air pollution office has seen its funds for fiscal 2018 plunge by 67%, from nearly $92 million to just over $30 million.

Superfund, the EPA program that cleans up toxic sites, has had its budget stripped by 25%, or $330 million, a move that would halt remediation work at several sites, but which the White House said would optimize the use of existing settlement funds and identify barriers preventing sites from returning to communities. EPA administrator Scott Pruitt has promised a renewed focus on cleaning contaminated sites, promising $342 million in appropriated funds to support state and local cleanup.

Commenting on Trump’s proposals, Pruitt said: “This budget supports EPA’s highest priorities with federal funding for priority work in infrastructure, air and water quality, and ensuring the safety of chemicals in the marketplace.”

The budget document stated that while everyone believes in and supports safe food supplies and clean air and water, the agencies of the federal government have gone way beyond what was originally intended by the Congress. However, observers believe that Trump’s “ambitious” budget is unlikely to be adopted or implemented by Congress in its current form.