United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
Standing committee
Active; ; United States Senate; 117th Congress
History
Formed	February 4, 1977
Succeeded	Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds; Committee on Public Works
Leadership
Chair	Tom Carper (D) ; Since February 3, 2021
Ranking member	Shelley Moore Capito (R) ; Since February 3, 2021
Structure
Seats	20 members
Political parties	Majority (10) Democratic (9); Independent (1); Minority (10) Republican (10);
Jurisdiction
Policy areas	Air pollution, Biodiversity, Bridges and dams, Environmental policy, Environmental management, Environmental science, Federal buildings, Fisheries and wildlife, Flood control, Highways and roads, Infrastructure generally, Light pollution, Marine debris, Noise pollution, Nuclear safety, Recycling, Soil contamination, Waste management, Water pollution, Water resources
Oversight authority	Appalachian Regional Commission, Council on Environmental Quality, Delta Regional Authority, Economic Development Administration, Federal Highway Administration, General Services Administration, Mississippi River Commission, Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, United States Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
House counterpart	House Committee on Energy and Commerce, House Committee on Natural Resources, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Subcommittees
	Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety; Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife; Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight; Transportation and Infrastructure;
Meeting place
	304 Dirksen Senate Office Building; Washington, D.C.
Website
	www.epw.senate.gov
Rules
	Rule XXV.1.(h), Standing Rules of the Senate; Rules of the Committee on Environment and Public Works;
	^ Democrats are in the majority due to the tiebreaking power of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves ex officio as the president of the Senate. ;

The United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for legislation and oversight of the natural and built environment and for studying matters concerning environmental protection and resource conservation and utilitization.

Jurisdiction[]

In accordance of Rule XXV of the United States Senate, all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects is referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works:

Air pollution;
Construction and maintenance of highways;
Environmental aspects of Outer Continental Shelf lands;
Environmental effects of toxic substances, other than pesticides;
Environmental policy;
Environmental research and development;
Fisheries and wildlife;
Flood control and improvements of rivers and harbors, including environmental aspects of deepwater ports;
Noise pollution;
Nonmilitary environmental regulation and control of nuclear energy;
Ocean dumping;
Public buildings and improved grounds of the United States generally, including Federal buildings in the District of Columbia;
Public works, bridges, and dams;
Regional economic development;
Solid waste disposal and recycling;
Water pollution; and,
Water resources.^[1]

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is also charged to "study and review, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to environmental protection and resource utilization and conservation, and report thereon from time to time."^[1]

Members, 117th Congress[]

Majority	Minority
Tom Carper, Delaware, Chair Ben Cardin, Maryland Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[2] Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Jeff Merkley, Oregon Ed Markey, Massachusetts Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Mark Kelly, Arizona Alex Padilla, California	Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia, Ranking Member Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming Richard Shelby, Alabama John Boozman, Arkansas Roger Wicker, Mississippi Dan Sullivan, Alaska Joni Ernst, Iowa Lindsey Graham, South Carolina

Subcommittees[]

Subcommittee	Chair	Ranking Member
Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight	Jeff Merkley (D-OR)	Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety	Ed Markey (D-MA)	Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife	Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)	Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
Transportation and Infrastructure	Ben Cardin (D-MD)	Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

Chairmen[]

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings, 1838–1857[]

William S. Fulton (D-AR) 1838–1841
John Leeds Kerr (W-MD) 1841–1842
William L. Dayton (W-NJ) 1842–1845
Simon Cameron (D-PA) 1845–1846
Jesse D. Bright (D-IN) 1846–1847
Robert M. T. Hunter (D-VA) 1847–1851
James Whitcomb (D-IN) 1851–1852
Charles James (D-RI) 1852–1853
James Bayard (D-DE) 1853–1857

Chairmen of the Joint Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, 1857–1883[]

Jesse D. Bright (D-IN) 1857–1861
Solomon Foot (R-VT) 1861–1866
B. Gratz Brown (R-MO) 1866–1867
William P. Fessenden (R-ME) 1867–1869
Justin S. Morrill (R-VT) 1869–1878
Henry Dawes (R-MA) 1878–1879
Charles W. Jones (D-FL) 1879–1881
Edward H. Rollins (R-NH) 1881–1883

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, 1883–1947[]

William Mahone (R-VA) 1883–1887
Leland Stanford (R-CA) 1887–1893
George Vest (D-MO) 1893–1895
Matthew S. Quay (R-PA) 1895–1899
Charles W. Fairbanks (R-IN) 1899–1905
Francis E. Warren (R-WY) 1905
Nathan B. Scott (R-WV) 1905–1911
George Sutherland (R-UT) 1911–1913
Claude A. Swanson (D-VA) 1913–1918
James A. Reed (D-MO) 1918–1919
Bert M. Fernald (R-ME) 1919–1926
Irvine L. Lenroot (R-WI) 1926–1927
Henry W. Keyes (R-NH) 1927–1933
Tom Connally (D-TX) 1933–1942
Francis Maloney (D-CT) 1942–1945
Charles O. Andrews (D-FL) 1945–1947

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Public Works, 1947–1977[]

Chapman Revercomb (R-WV) 1947–1949
Dennis Chavez (D-NM) 1949–1953
Edward Martin (R-PA) 1953–1955
Dennis Chavez (D-NM) 1955–1962
Patrick V. McNamara (D-MI) 1962–1966
Jennings Randolph (D-WV) 1966–1977

Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, 1977–present[]

Jennings Randolph (D-WV) 1977–1981
Robert T. Stafford (R-VT) 1981–1987
Quentin N. Burdick (D-ND) 1987–1992
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) 1992–1993
Max Baucus (D-MT) 1993–1995
John H. Chafee (R-RI) 1995–1999
Bob Smith (R-NH) 1999–2001
Harry Reid (D-NV) 2001
Bob Smith (R-NH) 2001
James Jeffords (I-VT) 2001–2003
James Inhofe (R-OK) 2003–2007
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) 2007–2015
James Inhofe (R-OK) 2015-2017
John Barrasso (R-WY) 2017–2021
Tom Carper (D-DE) 2021–present

Historical committee rosters[]

116th Congress[]

Majority	Minority
John Barrasso, Wyoming, Chairman Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia John Boozman, Arkansas Roger Wicker, Mississippi Mike Rounds, South Dakota Joni Ernst, Iowa Richard Shelby, Alabama Dan Sullivan, Alaska Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Mike Braun, Indiana	Tom Carper, Delaware, Ranking Member Ben Cardin, Maryland Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[2] Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Jeff Merkley, Oregon Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Cory Booker, New Jersey Ed Markey, Massachusetts Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Chris Van Hollen, Maryland

Subcommittees

Subcommittee	Chair	Ranking Member
Clean Air and Nuclear Safety	Mike Braun (R-IN)	Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Fisheries, Water and Wildlife	Kevin Cramer (R-ND)	Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight	Mike Rounds (R-SD)	Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Transportation and Infrastructure	Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)	Ben Cardin (D-MD)

115th Congress[]

Majority	Minority
John Barrasso, Wyoming, Chairman Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia John Boozman, Arkansas Roger Wicker, Mississippi Deb Fischer, Nebraska Jerry Moran, Kansas Mike Rounds, South Dakota Joni Ernst, Iowa Richard Shelby, Alabama Dan Sullivan, Alaska	Tom Carper, Delaware, Ranking Member Ben Cardin, Maryland Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[2] Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Jeff Merkley, Oregon Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Cory Booker, New Jersey Ed Markey, Massachusetts Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Chris Van Hollen, Maryland

114th Congress[]

Majority	Minority
Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma, Chair David Vitter, Louisiana John Barrasso, Wyoming Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia Mike Crapo, Idaho John Boozman, Arkansas Jeff Sessions, Alabama Roger Wicker, Mississippi Deb Fischer, Nebraska Mike Rounds, South Dakota Dan Sullivan, Alaska	Barbara Boxer, California, Ranking Member Tom Carper, Delaware Ben Cardin, Maryland Bernie Sanders, Vermont^[2] Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island Jeff Merkley, Oregon Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Cory Booker, New Jersey Ed Markey, Massachusetts

Source: 2013 Congressional Record, Vol. 159, Page S296

References[]

^ ^a ^b "Rule XXV(h) of the United States Senate | U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration". United States Senate. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Bernie Sanders is an Independent, but caucuses with Democrats on the committee.

External links[]

U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works official website (Archive)
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Legislation activity and reports, Congress.gov.
Public Works Agency – Public Works Industry Social Network including Municipal Contractors, Municipalities and Citizen Engagement

[tie-1] Democrats are in the majority due to the tiebreaking power of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves ex officio as the president of the Senate.

[Environment-2] "Rule XXV(h) of the United States Senate | U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration". United States Senate. Retrieved March 14, 2021.

[Sanders-3] Bernie Sanders is an Independent, but caucuses with Democrats on the committee.

[a]

[1]

[2]

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Standing committees · Defunct committees

Standing committee
Active United States Senate 117th Congress
History
Formed	February 4, 1977
Succeeded	Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds Committee on Public Works
Leadership
Chair	Tom Carper (D) Since February 3, 2021
Ranking member	Shelley Moore Capito (R) Since February 3, 2021
Structure
Seats	20 members^[a]
Political parties	Majority (10) Democratic (9) Independent (1) Minority (10) Republican (10)
Jurisdiction
Policy areas	Air pollution, Biodiversity, Bridges and dams, Environmental policy, Environmental management, Environmental science, Federal buildings, Fisheries and wildlife, Flood control, Highways and roads, Infrastructure generally, Light pollution, Marine debris, Noise pollution, Nuclear safety, Recycling, Soil contamination, Waste management, Water pollution, Water resources
Oversight authority	Appalachian Regional Commission, Council on Environmental Quality, Delta Regional Authority, Economic Development Administration, Federal Highway Administration, General Services Administration, Mississippi River Commission, Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, United States Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
House counterpart	House Committee on Energy and Commerce, House Committee on Natural Resources, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Subcommittees
Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight Transportation and Infrastructure
Meeting place
304 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C.
Website
www.epw.senate.gov
Rules
Rule XXV.1.(h), Standing Rules of the Senate Rules of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
^ Democrats are in the majority due to the tiebreaking power of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves ex officio as the president of the Senate.