Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island will serve as the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee’s Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water Subcommittee, party leaders announced on February 10. The move bumps Maryland Senator Ben Cardin from his role as the top Democrat on the subpanel charged with oversight of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act, though Sen. Cardin will remain a member of the subcommittee.
A member of the Senate since 2007, Whitehouse has a reputation as a staunch environmentalist and one of the chamber’s leading advocates for taking action to combat global climate change. Water quality issues are frequently mentioned in Whitehouse’s Senate remarks, though his focus is often on protecting oceans and coastlines from pollution and acidification tied to climate change.
Whitehouse’s ascent to the ranking member position on the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water Subcommittee is a result of the decision of EPW ranking Democrat Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) to also claim the position of top Democrat on EPW’s Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, which will be tasked with producing a major transportation reauthorization bill this year. Boxer’s move bumped Delaware Senator Top Carper from his place as the subpanel’s top Democrat, which led Carper to take Whitehouse’s place leading Democrats on the Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee. Whitehouse then claimed Cardin’s top spot on the water subcommittee.
The reshuffling, combined with Republicans taking over the Senate’s majority, leaves Sen. Cardin with significantly less power than last year, when he served as chairman of what was then known as the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee. But Cardin is expected to remain active on water and wastewater issues; for example, he is soon expected to reintroduce legislation that would help water utilities adapt their infrastructure to climate change.
Democrats’ complete EPW subcommittee membership lineup is available here. Committee Republicans have yet to announce their full rosters for each subcommittee, but freshman Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan will chair the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water Subcommittee.