Two new Democratic senators were sworn into office at the start of the year – Tina Smith of Minnesota and Doug Jones of Alabama – leading to a minor reshuffling of committee memberships across the chamber.
While neither Sens. Smith or Jones will take a seat on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, which oversees EPA and drinking water and wastewater policy, the panel’s membership was slightly altered due to a series of moves among committees as senate leaders made room for the new members and adjusted some committee ratios to reflect the Republicans’ narrowed 51-49 majority. The moves led California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris to leave the EPW panel, with Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen taking her place.
Sen. Harris did not serve on the EPW subcommittee with direct oversight of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act, so Sen. Van Hollen is not expected to join this subpanel, either. And the change does not affect the existing Democrat/Republican ratio of the EPW panel, as Republicans will continue to hold a 12-11 advantage. The committee’s full roster is available online.