The shift in Senate control from Democrats to Republicans will usher in a new crop of committee chairmen in the upper chamber, while some key election night defeats will prompt turnover among several top-ranking Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Complete committee rosters will not be finalized until the start of the 114th Congress early next year, but the leaders of panels of interest to the water sector are starting to fall into place:
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
In what could be the most consequential change for the water sector, Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma is expected to replace California Democrat Barbara Boxer as chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. Inhofe and Boxer are ideological opposites, and the new chairman’s well-documented skepticism of climate change will be sure to block any legislation authorizing EPA action on the issue. Inhofe does, however, have a strong track record in favor of infrastructure investment. The EPW Committee has jurisdiction over EPA (including the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
At the EPW subcommittee level, current Water and Wildlife Subcommittee chairman Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and ranking member John Boozman (R-Ark.) are expected to swap places next year. Sen. Cardin has championed legislation to help water utilities adapt to climate change, while Sen. Boozman has been a critic of excessive EPA regulations.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop of New York – ranking member of the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee and a strong proponent of investing in water infrastructure (particularly the Clean Water State Revolving Fund) – was defeated for reelection in New York’s First Congressional District. Maryland’s Donna Edwards or California’s Grace Napolitano are the favorites to take over as the subcommittee’ top Democrat.
Water Resources and Environment chairman Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) easily won reelection, and is expected to maintain his position atop the subcommittee. The panel’s agenda next year will likely reflect this year’s focus on rolling back EPA regulations, though Gibbs has also been supportive of new water infrastructure initiatives like WIFIA.
The full committee (which has jurisdiction over the Clean Water Act) will receive a new top Democrat following the lost reelection bid of West Virginia’s Nick Rahall. Oregon’s Peter DeFazio will take over Rahall’s slot, but Republican Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania is widely expected to return as committee chairman.
House Energy and Commerce Committee
The panel (which has oversight of the Safe Drinking Water Act) will see Michigan Republican Fred Upton return as chairman. Across the aisle, New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone will take the place of retiring ranking member Henry Waxman.
No changes are planned on the Environment and the Economy Subcommittee, where current chairman John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and ranking member Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) are each expected to return.
Homeland Security Committees
No leadership changes appear in store for the House Homeland Committee, where Michael McCaul (R-Tex.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) will maintain their posts as chairman and ranking member, respectively. In the Senate Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is likely to take over as chair as current Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee ranking Republican Tom Coburn heads to retirement and chairman Tom Carper shifts over to ranking Democrat.
Appropriations Committees
The retirement of Virginia’s Jim Moran will open a spot for a new ranking Democrat on the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee. The decision on who will take his place has yet to be made, but California Republican Ken Calvert will return as the subcommittee’s chairman. The full Appropriations Committee leadership looks to remain stable, with Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) expected to continue as House Appropriations chairman and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) back as top Democrat. Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran is expected to chair the Senate Appropriations panel, with current chair Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) likely to move over to ranking Democrat.