The newly rebranded Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will see its top Republican and Democrat members return for the 115th Congress, party leaders announced this month.
Previously known as the Environment and the Economy Subcommittee, the Environment panel will continue to hold jurisdiction over the Safe Drinking Water Act, Superfund, and the Toxic Substances Control Act in the new congress. But the subcommittee will now also directly oversee the Clean Air Act and emissions issues – areas that could be affected by GOP plans to undo some Obama Administration actions on global climate change.
Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) will return as chair of the subcommittee, a post he has held since 2011. Following the November elections he sought the chairmanship of the full Energy and Commerce Committee, but his Republican colleagues voted to give that position to Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ill.).
On the Democratic side, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) will return as ranking member of the subcommittee. Rep. Tonko has been the subcommittee’s lead Democrat since 2013 and has frequently offered proposals to reauthorize the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, though none have gained traction in the Republican House.
Both Reps. Shimkus and Tonko are scheduled to speak during AMWA’s 2017 Water Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. in March.
The full Environment Subcommittee roster for the 115th Congress is as follows:
Republicans (14): John Shimkus (Ill.) (Chair), David McKinley (W.V.) (Vice Chair), Joe Barton (Tex.), Tim Murphy (Penn.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Gregg Harper (Miss.), Pete Olson (Tex.), Bill Johnson (Ohio). Bill Flores (Tex.), Richard Hudson (N.C.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Tim Walberg (Mich.), Buddy Carter (Ga.), Greg Walden (Ore.).
Democrats (10): Paul Tonko (N.Y.) (Ranking Member), Raul Ruiz (Calif.), Scott Peters (Calif.), Gene Green (Tex.), Diana DeGette (Colo.), Jerry McNerney (Calif.), Tony Cardenas (Calif.), Debbie Dingell (Mich.), Doris Matsui (Calif.), Frank Pallone (N.J.).