"E.P.A. Faces Bigger Tasks, Smaller Budgets and Louder Critics"

"WASHINGTON — Under fierce attack from the political right, and with even some Democrats questioning its competence, the Environmental Protection Agency is facing a tumultuous election year — with rising regulatory responsibilities, falling budgets and its very existence at stake.

The agency has long been a favorite political target for Republicans, who criticize its authority to regulate large areas of the American economy as it enacts rules to curb pollution. But the E.P.A.’s challenges in 2016 are multifaceted. The Democratic presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, have questioned the agency’s handling of the drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich. And a toxic wastewater spill in a Colorado river last year brought charges of incompetence from both parties.

The leading Republican presidential hopefuls, Donald J. Trump and Ted Cruz, have each vowed to eviscerate the agency.

“We are going to get rid of it in almost every form,” Mr. Trump said at a debate this month. “We’re going to have little tidbits left, but we’re going to take a tremendous amount out.” "

Coral Davenport reports for the New York Times March 18, 2016.