Turnover in Congress will bring a new look to House and Senate committees and subcommittees with jurisdiction over drinking water policy next year. House and Senate leaders began to announce the new rosters this month.
In the House, the Environment and the Economy Subcommittee will welcome four new members: Larry Bucshon of Indiana, Bill Flores of Texas, Richard Hudson of North Carolina, and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota. They will join returning members Gregg Harper of Mississippi, Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, Joe Pitts and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, David McKinley of West Virginia, Robert Latta and Bill Johnson of Ohio, and Chairman John Shimkus of Illinois.
As a subpanel of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, Environment and the Economy holds jurisdiction over the Safe Drinking Water Act and other issues ranging from cybersecurity to industrial plant security to the Superfund program. House Democrats have yet to announce their roster for the subcommittee, but New York’s Paul Tonko is expected to return as ranking Democrat.
In the Senate, the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee will undergo a transformation as control of the chamber shifts from Democratic to Republican hands. Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe will chair the panel, where newly elected Sens. Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Dan Sullivan of Alaska will join EPW’s Republican roster. The other GOPers on the panel will be David Vitter of Louisiana, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Mike Crapo of Idaho, John Boozman of Arkansas, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Deb Fischer of Nebraska.
Sen. Boozman is expected to chair EPW’s Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, though party leaders have not yet announced the subcommittee membership list.
On the Democratic side of EPW, current chair Barbara Boxer of California will stay on as ranking member. Also returning to the panel are Democrats Thomas Carper of Delaware, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ed Markey of Massachusetts – plus Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who votes with the Democrats. Current EPW Democrat Tom Udall of New Mexico will depart the committee.