The
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and ...
Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for legislation and oversight of the natural and built environment and for studying matters concerning
environmental protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair da ...
and
resource conservation and
utilitization.
Jurisdiction
In accordance of Rule XXV of the United States Senate, all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects is referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works:
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Air pollution
Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different type ...
;
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Construction
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...
and
maintenance
Maintenance may refer to:
Biological science
* Maintenance of an organism
* Maintenance respiration
Non-technical maintenance
* Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English
* Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doctrine ...
of
highways
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...
;
# Environmental aspects of
Outer Continental Shelf
The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is a feature of the geography of the United States. The OCS is the part of the internationally recognized continental shelf of the United States which does not fall under the jurisdictions of the individual U. ...
lands;
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Environmental effects of toxic substances, other than pesticides;
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Environmental policy
Environmental policy is the commitment of an organization or government to the laws, regulations, and other policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues. These issues generally include air and water pollution, waste management, ecosystem ...
;
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Environmental research and development;
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Fisheries and
wildlife
Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted f ...
;
#
Flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
and
improvements of rivers and harbors, including environmental aspects of
deepwater ports;
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Noise pollution
Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them are harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is mai ...
;
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Nonmilitary environmental regulation and control of nuclear energy;
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Ocean dumping;
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Public buildings
A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and func ...
and
improved grounds of the United States generally, including
Federal buildings
A federal building is a building housing local offices of various government departments and agencies in countries with a federal system, especially when the central government is referred to as the "federal government".
Federal buildings in ...
in the
District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
;
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Public works
Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...
,
bridges
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
, and
dams
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...
;
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Regional economic development;
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Solid waste disposal
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitorin ...
and
recycling
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The Energy recycling, recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability t ...
;
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Water pollution
Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. Wate ...
; and,
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Water resources
Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; sligh ...
.
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is also charged to "study and review, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to
environmental protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair da ...
and
resource utilization and
conservation, and report thereon from time to time."
Members,
117th Congress
The 117th United States Congress is the current meeting of the United States Congress, legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened ...
Subcommittees
Chairmen
Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings, 1838–1857
*
William S. Fulton (D-AR) 1838–1841
*
John Leeds Kerr
John Leeds Kerr (January 15, 1780February 21, 1844) was an American politician.
Early years
Kerr was born in 1780 at Greenbury Point near Annapolis, Maryland, and graduated from St. John's College of Annapolis in 1799. He studied law, was a ...
(W-MD) 1841–1842
*
William L. Dayton (W-NJ) 1842–1845
*
Simon Cameron
Simon Cameron (March 8, 1799June 26, 1889) was an American businessman and politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate and served as United States Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln at the start of the Ameri ...
(D-PA) 1845–1846
*
Jesse D. Bright (D-IN) 1846–1847
*
Robert M. T. Hunter (D-VA) 1847–1851
*
James Whitcomb
James Whitcomb (December 1, 1795 – October 4, 1852) was a Democratic United States senator and the eighth governor of Indiana. As governor during the Mexican–American War, he oversaw the formation and deployment of the state's levies. He le ...
(D-IN) 1851–1852
*
Charles James (D-RI) 1852–1853
*
James Bayard (D-DE) 1853–1857
Chairmen of the Joint Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, 1857–1883
*
Jesse D. Bright (D-IN) 1857–1861
*
Solomon Foot (R-VT) 1861–1866
*
B. Gratz Brown (R-MO) 1866–1867
*
William P. Fessenden
William Pitt Fessenden (October 16, 1806September 8, 1869) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. Fessenden was a Whig (later a Republican) and member of the Fessenden political family. He served in the United States House o ...
(R-ME) 1867–1869
*
Justin S. Morrill
Justin Smith Morrill (April 14, 1810December 28, 1898) was an American politician and entrepreneur who represented Vermont in the United States House of Representatives (1855–1867) and United States Senate (1867–1898). He is most widely remem ...
(R-VT) 1869–1878
*
Henry Dawes (R-MA) 1878–1879
*
Charles W. Jones (D-FL) 1879–1881
*
Edward H. Rollins
Edward Henry Rollins (October 3, 1824July 31, 1889) was a United States representative and Senator from New Hampshire.
Biography
Born in a part of Somersworth, New Hampshire which is now Rollinsford, he attended the common schools and acad ...
(R-NH) 1881–1883
Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, 1883–1947
*
William Mahone
William Mahone (December 1, 1826October 8, 1895) was an American civil engineer, railroad executive, Confederate States Army general, and Virginia politician.
As a young man, Mahone was prominent in the building of Virginia's roads and railroa ...
(R-VA) 1883–1887
*
Leland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American industrialist and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 8th governor of California from 1862 to 1863 and represented California in the United States Sen ...
(R-CA) 1887–1893
*
George Vest (D-MO) 1893–1895
*
Matthew S. Quay (R-PA) 1895–1899
*
Charles W. Fairbanks
Charles Warren Fairbanks (May 11, 1852 – June 4, 1918) was an American politician who served as a senator from Indiana from 1897 to 1905 and the 26th vice president of the United States from 1905 to 1909. He was also the Republican vice presid ...
(R-IN) 1899–1905
*
Francis E. Warren
Francis Emroy Warren (June 20, 1844November 24, 1929) was an American politician of the Republican Party best known for his years in the United States Senate representing Wyoming and being the first Governor of Wyoming. A soldier in the Union A ...
(R-WY) 1905
*
Nathan B. Scott
Nathan Bay Scott (December 18, 1842January 2, 1924) was a United States senator from West Virginia.
Biography
Born near Quaker City, Ohio, he attended the common schools and engaged in mining near Colorado Springs, Colorado from 1859 to 1862 ...
(R-WV) 1905–1911
*
George Sutherland
George Alexander Sutherland (March 25, 1862July 18, 1942) was an English-born American jurist and politician. He served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court between 1922 and 1938. As a member of the Republican Party, he also rep ...
(R-UT) 1911–1913
*
Claude A. Swanson
Claude Augustus Swanson (March 31, 1862July 7, 1939) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia. He served as U.S. Representative (1893-1906), Governor of Virginia (1906-1910), and U.S. Senator from Virginia (1910-1933), befo ...
(D-VA) 1913–1918
*
James A. Reed (D-MO) 1918–1919
*
Bert M. Fernald (R-ME) 1919–1926
*
Irvine L. Lenroot
Irvine Luther Lenroot (January 31, 1869 – January 26, 1949) was a United States representative and United States senator from Wisconsin and an associate judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.
Education and career
B ...
(R-WI) 1926–1927
*
Henry W. Keyes (R-NH) 1927–1933
*
Tom Connally
Thomas Terry Connally (August 19, 1877October 28, 1963) was an American politician, who represented Texas in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, as a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the U.S. House of Represent ...
(D-TX) 1933–1942
*
Francis Maloney (D-CT) 1942–1945
*
Charles O. Andrews
Charles Oscar Andrews (March 7, 1877September 18, 1946) was a Democratic Party politician from Florida, who represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1936 until 1946.
Early life
Charles O. Andrews was born in Ponce de Leon, Florida ...
(D-FL) 1945–1947
Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Public Works, 1947–1977
*
Chapman Revercomb (R-WV) 1947–1949
*
Dennis Chavez (D-NM) 1949–1953
*
Edward Martin Edward Martin may refer to:
Government and politics
* Edward L. Martin (1837–1897), U.S. representative from Delaware
* Edward Lowe Martin (1842–1912), Kansas City mayor
* Edward Martin (Pennsylvania politician) (1879–1967), governor of Penn ...
(R-PA) 1953–1955
*
Dennis Chavez (D-NM) 1955–1962
*
Patrick V. McNamara (D-MI) 1962–1966
*
Jennings Randolph
Jennings Randolph (March 8, 1902May 8, 1998) was an American politician from West Virginia. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service in the United States House of Representatives from 1933 to 1947 and the United States Senate from 1958 to ...
(D-WV) 1966–1977
Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, 1977–present
*
Jennings Randolph
Jennings Randolph (March 8, 1902May 8, 1998) was an American politician from West Virginia. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service in the United States House of Representatives from 1933 to 1947 and the United States Senate from 1958 to ...
(D-WV) 1977–1981
*
Robert T. Stafford
Robert Theodore Stafford (August 8, 1913 – December 23, 2006) was an American politician from Vermont. In his lengthy political career, he served as the 71st governor of Vermont, a United States representative, and a U.S. Senator. A Republ ...
(R-VT) 1981–1987
*
Quentin N. Burdick
Quentin Northrup Burdick (June 19, 1908 – September 8, 1992) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, he represented North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives (1959–1960) and the ...
(D-ND) 1987–1992
*
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) 1992–1993
*
Max Baucus
Maxwell Sieben Baucus ( Enke; born December 11, 1941) is an American politician who served as a United States senator from Montana from 1978 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a U.S. senator for over 35 years, making him the longe ...
(D-MT) 1993–1995
*
John H. Chafee (R-RI) 1995–1999
*
Bob Smith (R-NH) 1999–2001
*
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...
(D-NV) 2001
*
Bob Smith (R-NH) 2001
*
James Jeffords
James Merrill Jeffords (May 11, 1934 – August 18, 2014) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. senator from Vermont. Sworn into the Senate in 1989, he served as a Republican until 2001, when he left the party to become ...
(I-VT) 2001–2003
*
James Inhofe
James Mountain Inhofe ( ; born November 17, 1934) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Oklahoma, a seat he was first elected to in 1994. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the U.S. Senate Commit ...
(R-OK) 2003–2007
*
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and lobbyist who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the U. ...
(D-CA) 2007–2015
*
James Inhofe
James Mountain Inhofe ( ; born November 17, 1934) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Oklahoma, a seat he was first elected to in 1994. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the U.S. Senate Commit ...
(R-OK) 2015-2017
*
John Barrasso
John Anthony Barrasso III ( ; born July 21, 1952) is an American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wyoming, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Wyoming Stat ...
(R-WY) 2017–2021
*
Tom Carper
Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the senior United States senator from Delaware, having held the seat since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, Carper served in ...
(D-DE) 2021–present
Historical committee rosters
116th Congress
The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2019, and ended on Januar ...
;Subcommittees
115th Congress
The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January ...
114th Congress
Source:
References
External links
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works official websiteArchiveSenate Environment and Public Works Committee Legislation activity and reports,
Congress.gov.
Public Works Agency– Public Works Industry Social Network including Municipal Contractors, Municipalities and Citizen Engagement
{{United States congressional committees
Environment and Public Works
Environment of the United States
1838 establishments in the United States