Water Resources and Environment
The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment consists generally of matters relating to water resources development, conservation and management, water pollution control and water infrastructure, and hazardous waste cleanup. Within this scope of authority, the Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all programs within the civil works and regulatory programs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the water quality and Clean Water Act-related infrastructure programs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) (within the U.S. Department of Transportation). The Subcommittee also shares jurisdiction with the Committee on Energy and Commerce over EPA’s hazardous waste cleanup and liability authorities (under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), more commonly known as Superfund) and brownfields revitalization program. In addition, the Subcommittee shares jurisdiction over the joint EPA-U.S. Coast Guard authorities under the Oil Pollution Act with the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Finally, the Subcommittee has jurisdiction over the small watershed grants and remediation programs under the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (within the U.S. Department of Agriculture), and water quality and water-infrastructure related programs of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) (within the U.S. Department of State)
Issues under the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee include:
- Water resources programs (projects and regulations) – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)
- Clean Water Act, water infrastructure and watershed protection programs – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Superfund and brownfields revitalization (EPA)
- Ocean dumping – Corps and EPA
- Oil pollution – EPA and U.S. Coast Guard
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (US. Department of Transportation).
- The small watershed program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
- Water quality and water-infrastructure related issues on the U.S. Border – International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) (within the U.S. Department of State)
- Deepwater ports – EPA, Coast Guard, Corps
- Invasive/aquatic nuisance species – EPA, Coast Guard, Corps, and other agencies
- Coastal pollution and coastal zone management – EPA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Natural resource damages – NOAA, Interior, and other agencies
- Groundwater protection – EPA and Corps
- Water resources policy – multiple agencies
Recent Activity
- May 25, 2023 : Ranking Members Larsen and Napolitano Issue Statements on Supreme Court WOTUS Decision
- May 16, 2023 : Ranking Members Larsen, Napolitano Statements from Hearing on Protecting the Clean Water Act
- May 16, 2023 : Ranking Member Larsen on Infrastructure Week: “Every day is infrastructure day”
- May 16, 2023 : “The Next Fifty Years of the Clean Water Act: Examining the Law and Infrastructure Project Completion.”
- Apr 18, 2023 : ICYMI: Ranking Member Larsen Defends President Biden’s WOTUS Rule on House Floor
- Mar 28, 2023 : ICYMI: Ranking Member Larsen Opposes “Polluters Over People Act” on House Floor
- Mar 3, 2023 : “House Democrats Stand for Clean Water”—T&I Members Respond to Republican’s CRA
- Feb 8, 2023 : Stakeholder Perspectives on the Impacts of the Biden Administration’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule
- Jan 31, 2023 : Graves, Larsen Announce T&I Subcommittee Rosters for the 118th Congress
- Jan 27, 2023 : Ranking Member Larsen Welcomes Democratic T&I Committee Members for the 118th Congress
- Dec 6, 2022 : DeFazio, Carper, Capito, and Graves Announce Negotiated Water Resources Development Act of 2022
- Nov 15, 2022 : Chairs DeFazio, Napolitano Urge Federal Agencies to Enhance Permitting Review Process to Protect Public Health and U.S. Waters
- Oct 28, 2022 : Chairs DeFazio and Napolitano Release Committee Report on Pebble Mine—Ask the AG to Investigate False Statements to Congress
- Sep 29, 2022 : Chair DeFazio Statement from Hearing on the Transformative Impact of Legislation Passed by the 117th Congress
- Sep 20, 2022 : The Clean Water Act at Fifty: Highlights and Lessons Learned from a Half Century of Transformative Legislation
The House Subcommittee on
Water Resources and Environment
Democrats
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John Garamendi - CA 03
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Vice Ranking Member
Emilia Sykes - OH 13
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Jared Huffman - CA 02
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Frederica S. Wilson - FL 24
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Pat Ryan - NY 19
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Val Hoyle - OR 4
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Hillary Scholten - MI 3
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Julia Brownley - CA 26
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Mark DeSaulnier - CA 11
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Greg Stanton - AZ 9
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Chris Pappas - NH 1
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Seth Moulton - MA 6
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Troy Carter - LA 02
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Eleanor Holmes Norton - DC
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Rick Larsen (Ex Officio) - WA 2
Republicans
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Daniel Webster - FL 11
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Thomas Massie - KY 04
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Brian Babin - TX 36
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Mike Bost - IL 12
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Doug LaMalfa - CA 01
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Bruce Westerman - AR 04
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Brian Mast - FL 18
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Jenniffer González-Colón - PR AL
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Burgess Owens - UT 4
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Chuck Edwards - NC 11
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John James - MI 10
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Derrick Van Orden - WI 3
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Brandon Williams - NY 22
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Mike Collins - GA 10
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Mike Ezell - MS 4
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John Duarte - CA 13
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Sam Graves (Ex Officio) - MO 06