DEFICIT FOCUS MAY HOBBLE PUSH TO RESTORE UPCOMING EPA BUDGET CUTS

EPA's prospects for winning a modest funding boost to restore deep cuts expected in the Bush administration's upcoming budget request appear slim, observers on and off Capitol Hill say, due in large part to Republican and administration commitments to rein in federal spending ahead of the midterm elections. While President Bush in the past sought cuts to EPA spending with Congress adding modest funding back into key programs, it may be difficult for lawmakers to do so in the agency's...