United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Committee information

• Date created: 1837
• Members: Twenty-one members in the 116th Congress (2019)
• Subcommittees: Clean Air and Nuclear Safety; Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife; Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight; Transportation and Infrastructure

Role

The United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is a Senate panel that oversees legislation and policy involving the environment and some government-owned property. Its jurisdiction includes highways, nuclear energy regulation, buildings, structures, waste disposal, and noise, air, and water pollution. It is also responsible for federally owned property that is open to the public.

The US Congress has the authority to make and change federal laws. To help members focus on particular issues, Congress is divided into committees. Committees are made up of members of both political parties. Since the memberships of the Senate and the House of Representatives change on a regular basis, committees are frequently reorganized. The ratio of Republicans and Democrats on committees almost always mirrors the ratio of the Senate or House as a whole. The party that holds the majority in the House or Senate designates a chairperson to act as leader of each committee. This person does not hold absolute power, but helps organize committee meetings and often speaks for the committee to other members of the House or Senate. The minority party also names a leader, who is called the ranking member.

In some cases, committees are formed in response to a particular need or problem. Once the issue in question has been resolved, these committees are disbanded. These are known as select committees. Other committees have more permanent functions. In these cases, the House or Senate votes to make them standing committees. Standing committees typically have the power to review and draft legislation and recommend it for a full vote in the House or Senate. Most committees are exclusive to the House or Senate, however, some committees have members from both houses of Congress. These are called joint committees. As of 2019, there were twenty-one permanent committees in the House and sixteen in the Senate.

Most committees are broken into subcommittees, each with its own individual leaders. In most cases, House members and senators can be part of multiple subcommittees and multiple committees. Subcommittees are designed to help focus lawmakers’ tasks even further, allowing them to dedicate time to even more specific issues. House rules prevent most of its committees from having more than five subcommittees. The rules do allow for some exceptions in the case of committees that handle more complicated issues. The Senate has no restrictions on the number of subcommittees. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has four subcommittees.

Committees can influence their given jurisdictions in multiple ways. The Committee on Environment and Public Works has the authority to oversee government agencies and officials, including those that research the environment and manage pollution and waste. If the committee determines that an agency is not adequately carrying out its duties, it can call for action. If the failure was a result of negligence or corruption, the committee can highlight these problems so they can be dealt with. If the issued stemmed from the agency being poorly equipped, the committee can recommend legislation that provides the agency the resources it needs. The committee meets on a regular basis. If its members agree on a proposal, bill, or amendment, they can make a recommendation to the full Senate for discussion and a possible vote on the issue.

History

The committee was established in 1837 as the Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. At the time, Washington, DC, was rapidly expanding, but its growth was different from that of most major US cities. Other cities had their own city governments or fell under the jurisdiction of their state governments. But since Washington was the nation’s capital and a federal district, it was not located within a state. Most of Washington’s buildings and structures were for federal use. The committee was originally established to help manage and maintain federal buildings.

By the mid-twentieth century, Congress had become cluttered with standing committees. The country had changed dramatically since many of the committees had formed, and some no longer served a clear purpose. Many committees were redundant or outdated. In 1946, Congress passed the Legislative Reorganization Act. It overhauled the committee structure, combining some, eliminating others, and altering some of their jurisdictions. The bill also made it easier to implement changes in the future. One of the changes brought about by the act transformed the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds into the Committee on Public Works. The committee’s new jurisdiction focused more on federal projects than the maintenance of specific structures. The United States was much larger than when the committee had first formed, and there were many more government projects in place to service the population.

Another significant change was the creation of the interstate highway system in the 1950s. Prior to that time, roads had primarily been maintained by state and city governments. Interstate highways were well traveled and crossed state lines, placing their care and maintenance under federal jurisdiction. The highways also allowed drivers to travel at then-unprecedented speeds, which required federal regulation to minimize dangerous conditions.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the American public grew more aware and concerned about the environment than they had in the past. The effects of pollution and the impact human activity could have on natural resources and other species were studied extensively. The committee’s jurisdiction shifted again in 1963, placing more focus on protecting the environment of the United States. The committee was tasked with overseeing efforts to curb both water and air pollution. It was instrumental in passing the Clean Air Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in the late 1960s and early 1970s. To reflect its new focus, the committee was renamed the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in 1977. With the name change, came responsibilities toward endangered species, including programs placed to protect them. The committee was also granted jurisdiction over the nonmilitary use of nuclear power.

Some of the organizations in the committee’s jurisdiction are the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Council on Environmental Quality, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Notable past members of this committee include former President Barack Obama, and former presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bob Dole.

Subcommittees

As of the 116th Congress, the Senate consisted of fifty-three Republicans, forty-five Democrats, and two independents. To match that ratio, the Committee Environment and Public Works was made up of eleven Republicans, nine Democrats, and one independent. The committee also had four subcommittees: Clean Air and Nuclear Safety; Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife; Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight; and Transportation and Infrastructure.

United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety

This subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes efforts to study and reduce air pollution, nonmilitary nuclear power development and regulation, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. As a subcommittee focused on pollution, it is responsible for legislative issues concerning the Clean Air Act. This law was established in 1963 and has been frequently updated and amended since that time. The act promoted research that helped the government find effective ways to study pollution. It also required that manufacturers keep the emissions of pollutants below certain levels. When pollution’s effect on the ozone layer and acid rain became more understood in the late twentieth century, the act was amended to address those concerns as well. The subcommittee works to ensure that manufacturers are meeting environmental standards, while also making sure that those standards are reasonable and do not harm the manufacturers’ ability to compete.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is an organization designed to help maintain a strong relationship between industry and the environment in the Tennessee Valley. It helps regulate farming and manufacturing efforts in the region, as well as various resource-gathering projects. These include hydroelectric power facilities and fossil fuel plants.

The subcommittee is also involved in the oversight of nuclear power. Its jurisdiction includes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which was designed to make sure that nuclear energy is obtained safely. Nuclear power has been an attractive energy source to the United States because it is relatively clean and sustainable; however the dangers associated with leaks or other failures are substantial.

United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife

This subcommittee is focused on the proper care and treatment of water within the United States. Its jurisdiction includes bodies of water within the country’s borders, wetlands, and the animals living within these areas. Its duties include making sure that protected wetlands and bodies of water are properly cared for by their respective government agencies. The subcommittee oversees data on species in its jurisdiction and recommends protection if it finds that they are threatened by human activity. The subcommittee can also recommend that unprotected wetlands be given protected status.

The subcommittee is responsible for issues concerning the Clean Water Act, which monitors water pollution and sets standards for waters within the United States. Questions about the nation’s water quality and infrastructure became a major topic of concern in the 2010s. The city of Flint, Michigan made national news in 2014 when it was revealed that the city, in order to cut costs, changed its drinking water source and did not adequately treat the water. Its residents were drinking water with significant amounts of lead, which can cause a variety of health problems. A handful of other cities across the United States faced similar issues to a lesser degree. In the western United States, droughts and floods were growing more common and less predictable. The subcommittee held multiple hearings discussing how the nation’s water infrastructure could address these problems.

United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight

This subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes organizations and laws designed to address the disposal of waste products. The Superfund is the most prominent program associated with this subcommittee. It is a nickname for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980. This act grants emergency funds to the Environmental Protection Agency for the purpose of paying for damages as the result of a hazardous waste disaster. Official policy calls for the EPA to determine the party responsible for a disaster and requires that party to clean it up and pay for any damages. However, the Superfund was created as a safety net in case a responsible party cannot be found or is incapable of paying for the damage immediately. The party often does not have the equipment or training to conduct the cleanup, so the Superfund allows the EPA to assist in the process.

This subcommittee’s jurisdiction also includes the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, which focuses on preparing state and local governments for possible waste-related disasters, and giving them the funding and planning necessary to handle such events. The subcommittee also works with the Toxic Substances Control Act, which was designed to regulate the production of dangerous chemicals. Its members are tasked with making sure the act is being enforced, while also examining and updating it so it is fair for manufacturers.

United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure

This subcommittee has close ties to the original Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. Its jurisdiction includes federal transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the construction and maintenance of public buildings, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the National Dam Safety Program, and efforts to preserve land or structures for historical purposes. It is associated with the Stafford Act, which was passed in 1988 to outline how the federal government could provide assistance in the event of a natural disaster. According to the act, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authority to provide aid after local disasters. However, the act and the agency have been criticized, particularly in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Critics said that FEMA did not have enough authority or resources to effectively respond to severe disasters. Several reforms have been implemented over the years.

In 2017, severe droughts hit the western United States. The subcommittee discussed ways that both public and private sectors could cooperate to supply water to that part of the country. Later that year, the subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the federal infrastructure used to move freight across the country.

Bibliography

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Fecht, Sarah. “America’s Water Infrastructure is Failing—But Here’s How We Could Start to Fix It.” Phys, 8 May 2018. phys.org/news/2018-05-america-infrastructure-failingbut.html. Accessed 15 Jan. 2019.

“Flint Water Crisis Fast Facts.” CNN, 6 Dec. 2018, www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/us/flint-water-crisis-fast-facts/index.html. Accessed 14 Jan. 2019.

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Grandoni, Dino. “The Energy 202: Senate Democrats Warn EPA May Be ‘Afoul’ of Law By Prepping Wheeler for Confirmation During Shutdown.” The Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2019. www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2019/01/11/the-energy-202-senate-democrats-warn-epa-may-be-afoul-of-law-by-prepping-wheeler-for-confirmation-during-shutdown/5c37a7161b326b66fc5a1c0c/?noredirect=on&utm‗term=.e9cd254e147b Accessed 14 Jan. 2019.

“Subcommittees.” U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/subcommittees. Accessed 12 Jan. 2019.

“Superfund.” EPA, www.epa.gov/superfund. Accessed 13 Jan. 2019.