California Senator Barbara Boxer, the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and one of Congress’ most influential voices on environmental policy, will not run for reelection when her term concludes in 2016, she announced this month.
Boxer was elected to the Senate in 1992 and prior to that served in the House of Representatives. Before Republicans took the Senate majority this month following the November elections, she had served as chairman of EPW since 2007.
Sen. Boxer earned a reputation as a strong pro-environment liberal, and left her mark on a series of drinking water and infrastructure proposals. Most recently she championed last year’s passage of the “Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act” (WIFIA), and has cosponsored AMWA-backed legislation to help water and wastewater utilities adapt to climate change.
At other times Boxer has found herself at odds with some members of the water utility community. She has strongly backed imposing federal “inherently safer technology” mandates on water treatment plants, has pushed for new legislation to direct EPA to regulate levels of contaminants such as chromium-6 in water supplies, and opposed efforts to allow water systems to distribute annual consumer confidence reports electronically rather than through paper-copy mailings.
Boxer’s seat is likely to remain in Democratic hands in left-leaning California, though the primary is expected to be fierce. Kamala Harris, the state’s attorney general, has already announced her candidacy for the seat, and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer is also mulling a run. More than a half-dozen current House members from California are also rumored to have interest in moving up to the Senate.
Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware is in line to become ranking Democrat on the EPW Committee after Boxer’s departure. Carper is currently the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (a position he will have to give up if he takes over at EPW), and last year chaired EPW’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.