United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

The United States Senate 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 and resource conservation and utilitization.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
Standing committee
Active

United States Senate
119th Congress
History
FormedFebruary 4, 1977
SucceededCommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds
Committee on Public Works
Leadership
ChairShelley Moore Capito (R)
Since January 3, 2025
Ranking memberSheldon Whitehouse (D)
Since January 3, 2025
Structure
Seats19 members
Political partiesMajority (10)
  •   Republican (10)
Minority (9)
  •   Democratic (8)
  •   Independent (1)
Jurisdiction
Policy areasAir pollution, Biodiversity, Bridges and dams, Environmental policy, Environmental management, Environmental science, Federal buildings, Fisheries and wildlife, Flood control, Highways and roads, Infrastructure generally, Light pollution, Marine debris, Noise pollution, Nuclear safety, Recycling, Soil contamination, Waste management, Water pollution, Water resources
Oversight authorityAppalachian Regional Commission, Council on Environmental Quality, Delta Regional Authority, Economic Development Administration, Federal Highway Administration, General Services Administration, Mississippi River Commission, Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, United States Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
House counterpartHouse Committee on Energy and Commerce, House Committee on Natural Resources, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Subcommittees
  • Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety
  • Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife
  • Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight
  • Transportation and Infrastructure
Meeting place
304 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.
Website
epw.senate.gov
Rules
  • Rule XXV.1.(h), Standing Rules of the Senate
  • Rules of the Committee on Environment and Public Works

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:

  1. Air pollution;
  2. Construction and maintenance of highways;
  3. Environmental aspects of Outer Continental Shelf lands;
  4. Environmental effects of toxic substances, other than pesticides;
  5. Environmental policy;
  6. Environmental research and development;
  7. Fisheries and wildlife;
  8. Flood control and improvements of rivers and harbors, including environmental aspects of deepwater ports;
  9. Noise pollution;
  10. Nonmilitary environmental regulation and control of nuclear energy;
  11. Ocean dumping;
  12. Public buildings and improved grounds of the United States generally, including Federal buildings in the District of Columbia;
  13. Public works, bridges, and dams;
  14. Regional economic development;
  15. Solid waste disposal and recycling;
  16. Water pollution; and,
  17. Water resources.

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is also charged to "study and review, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to environmental protection and resource utilization and conservation, and report thereon from time to time."

Members, 119th Congress

Majority Minority
  • Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia, Chair
  • Kevin Cramer, North Dakota
  • Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming
  • John Curtis, Utah
  • Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
  • Dan Sullivan, Alaska
  • Pete Ricketts, Nebraska
  • Roger Wicker, Mississippi
  • John Boozman, Arkansas
  • Jon Husted, Ohio (from January 24, 2025)
  • Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island, Ranking Member
  • Bernie Sanders, Vermont
  • Jeff Merkley, Oregon
  • Ed Markey, Massachusetts
  • Mark Kelly, Arizona
  • Alex Padilla, California
  • Adam Schiff, California
  • Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware
  • Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland

Subcommittees

Subcommittee Chair Ranking Member
Transportation and Infrastructure Kevin Cramer (R-ND) Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD)
Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight John Curtis (R-UT) Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water Pete Ricketts (R-WY) Adam Schiff (D-CA)

Chairs

The committee has gone through several iterations starting in 1838. A list of these chairs is below.

Chairs of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings, 1819–1821

Name Party State Start End
Jonathan Roberts Democratic-Republican PA 1819 1821

Chairs of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings, 1838–1857

Name Party State Start End
William Fulton Democratic AR 1838 1841
Alexander Barrow Whig LA 1841
John Kerr Whig MD 1841 1842
William Dayton Whig NJ 1842 1843
Sidney Breese Democratic IL 1843 1845
Simon Cameron Democratic PA 1845 1846
Jesse Bright Democratic IN 1846 1847
Robert Hunter Democratic VA 1847 1851
James Whitcomb Democratic IN 1851 1852
Charles James Democratic RI 1852 1853
James Bayard Democratic DE 1853 1857

Chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, 1857–1883

Name Party State Start End
Jesse Bright Democratic IN 1857 1861
Solomon Foot Republican VT 1861 1866
Gratz Brown Republican MO 1866 1867
William Fessenden Republican ME 1867 1869
Justin Morrill Republican VT 1869 1878
Henry Dawes Republican MA 1878 1879
Charles Jones Democratic FL 1879 1881
Edward Rollins Republican NH 1883 1881

Chairs of the Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, 1883–1947

Name Party State Start End
William Mahone Readjuster Republican VA 1883 1887
Leland Stanford Republican CA 1887 1893
George Vest Democratic MO 1893 1895
Matthew Quay Republican PA 1895 1899
Charles Fairbanks Republican IN 1899 1905
Francis Warren Republican WY 1905
Nathan Scott Republican WV 1905 1911
George Sutherland Republican UT 1911 1913
Claude Swanson Democratic VA 1913 1918
James Reed Democratic MO 1918 1919
Bert Fernald Republican ME 1919 1926
Irvine Lenroot Republican WI 1926 1927
Henry Keyes Republican NH 1927 1933
Tom Connally Democratic TX 1933 1942
Francis Maloney Democratic CT 1942 1945
Charles Andrews Democratic FL 1945 1946

Chairs of the Senate Committee on Public Works, 1947–1977

Name Party State Start End
Chapman Revercomb Republican WV 1947 1949
Dennis Chavez Democratic NM 1949 1953
Edward Martin Republican PA 1953 1955
Dennis Chavez Democratic NM 1955 1962
Pat McNamara Democratic MI 1962 1966
Jennings Randolph Democratic WV 1966 1967

Chairs of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, 1977–present

Name Party State Start End
Jennings Randolph Democratic WV 1977 1981
Robert Stafford Republican VT 1981 1987
Quentin Burdick Democratic ND 1987 1992
Pat Moynihan Democratic NY 1992 1993
Max Baucus Democratic MT 1993 1995
John Chafee Republican RI 1995 1999
Bob Smith Republican NH 1999 2001
Harry Reid Democratic NV 2001
Bob Smith Republican NH 2001
Jim Jeffords Independent VT 2001 2003
Jim Inhofe Republican OK 2003 2007
Barbara Boxer Democratic CA 2007 2015
Jim Inhofe Republican OK 2015 2017
John Barrasso Republican WY 2017 2021
Tom Carper Democratic DE 2021 2025
Shelley Moore Capito Republican WV 2025 present

Ranking Members

A list of ranking members is below.

Name Party State Start End
James Burrill Whig RI 1819 1821
Richard Bayard Whig DE 1837 1839
William Merrick Whig MD 1839 1841
William Fulton Democratic AR 1841 1842
Alfred Cuthbert Democratic GA 1842 1843
William Dayton Whig NJ 1843 1847
Presley Spruance Whig DE 1847 1849
John Clarke Whig RI 1849 1853
George Badger Whig NC 1853 1855
Thomas Pratt Whig MD 1855 1857
Daniel Clark Republican NH 1857 1861
Jesse Bright Democratic IN 1861 1862
John Henderson Democratic MO 1862 1863
Willard Saulsbury Democratic DE 1863
John Henderson Democratic MO 1863 1864
Thomas Hendricks Democratic IN 1864 1865
Gratz Brown Republican MO 1865 1866
Lyman Trumbull Republican IL 1866 1867
Reverdy Johnson Democratic MD 1867 1869
John Stockton Democratic NJ 1869 1875
Henry Cooper Democratic TN 1875 1877
Eli Saulsbury Democratic DE 1877 1879
Henry Dawes Republican MA 1879 1881
Charles Jones Democratic FL 1881 1887
George Vest Democratic MO 1887 1893
Justin Morrill Republican VT 1893 1895
George Vest Democratic MO 1895 1903
Charles Culberson Democratic TX 1903 1913
George Sutherland Republican UT 1913 1917
Francis Warren Republican WY 1917 1919
James Reed Democratic MO 1919 1929
Henry Ashurst Democratic AZ 1929 1933
Henry Keyes Republican NH 1933 1937
Warren Austin Republican VT 1937 1938
Frederick Hale Republican ME 1938 1941
Warren Barbour Republican NJ 1941 1943
Robert Taft Republican OH 1943 1947
John Overton Democratic LA 1944 1948
Dennis Chavez Democratic NM 1948 1949
Harry Cain Republican WA 1949 1953
Dennis Chavez Democratic NM 1953 1955
Edward Martin Republican PA 1955 1959
Francis Case Republican SD 1959 1962
John Cooper Republican KY 1962 1973
Howard Baker Republican TN 1973 1975
James Buckley Republican NY 1975 1977
Robert Stafford Republican VT 1977 1981
Jennings Randolph Democratic WV 1981 1985
Lloyd Bentsen Democratic TX 1985 1987
Robert Stafford Republican VT 1987 1989
John Chafee Republican RI 1989 1995
Max Baucus Democratic MT 1995 2001
Harry Reid Democratic NV 2001
Bob Smith Republican NH 2001 2003
Jim Jeffords Independent VT 2003 2007
Jim Inhofe Republican OK 2007 2013
David Vitter Republican LA 2013 2015
Barbara Boxer Democratic CA 2015 2017
Tom Carper Democratic DE 2017 2021
Shelley Moore Capito Republican WV 2021 2025
Sheldon Whitehouse Democratic RI 2025 present

Historical committee rosters

118th Congress

Majority Minority
  • Tom Carper, Delaware, Chair
  • Ben Cardin, Maryland
  • Bernie Sanders, Vermont
  • Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
  • Jeff Merkley, Oregon
  • Ed Markey, Massachusetts
  • Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
  • Mark Kelly, Arizona
  • Alex Padilla, California
  • John Fetterman, Pennsylvania
  • Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia, Ranking Member
  • Kevin Cramer, North Dakota
  • Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming
  • Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma
  • Pete Ricketts, Nebraska
  • John Boozman, Arkansas
  • Roger Wicker, Mississippi
  • Dan Sullivan, Alaska
  • Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
Subcommittee
Subcommittee Chair Ranking Member
Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight Jeff Merkley (D-OR) Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety Ed Markey (D-MA) Pete Ricketts (R-NE)
Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife Alex Padilla (D-CA) Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
Transportation and Infrastructure Mark Kelly (D-AZ) Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

117th Congress

Majority Minority
  • Tom Carper, Delaware, Chair
  • Ben Cardin, Maryland
  • Bernie Sanders, Vermont
  • Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
  • Jeff Merkley, Oregon
  • Ed Markey, Massachusetts
  • Tammy Duckworth, Illinois
  • Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
  • Mark Kelly, Arizona
  • Alex Padilla, California
  • Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia, Ranking Member
  • Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma
  • Kevin Cramer, North Dakota
  • Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming
  • Richard Shelby, Alabama
  • John Boozman, Arkansas
  • Roger Wicker, Mississippi
  • Dan Sullivan, Alaska
  • Joni Ernst, Iowa
  • Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
Subcommittees
Subcommittee Chair Ranking Member
Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight Jeff Merkley (D-OR) Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety Ed Markey (D-MA) Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
Transportation and Infrastructure Ben Cardin (D-MD) Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

116th Congress

Majority Minority
  • John Barrasso, Wyoming, Chair
  • Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma
  • Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia
  • John Boozman, Arkansas
  • Roger Wicker, Mississippi
  • Mike Rounds, South Dakota
  • Joni Ernst, Iowa
  • Richard Shelby, Alabama
  • Dan Sullivan, Alaska
  • Kevin Cramer, North Dakota
  • Mike Braun, Indiana
  • Tom Carper, Delaware, Ranking Member
  • Ben Cardin, Maryland
  • Bernie Sanders, Vermont
  • Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
  • Jeff Merkley, Oregon
  • Kirsten Gillibrand, New York
  • Cory Booker, New Jersey
  • Ed Markey, Massachusetts
  • Tammy Duckworth, Illinois
  • Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
Subcommittees
Subcommittee Chair Ranking Member
Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Mike Braun (R-IN) Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Fisheries, Water and Wildlife Kevin Cramer (R-ND) Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight Mike Rounds (R-SD) Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Transportation and Infrastructure Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) Ben Cardin (D-MD)

115th Congress

Majority Minority
  • John Barrasso, Wyoming, Chair
  • Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma
  • Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia
  • John Boozman, Arkansas
  • Roger Wicker, Mississippi
  • Deb Fischer, Nebraska
  • Jerry Moran, Kansas
  • Mike Rounds, South Dakota
  • Joni Ernst, Iowa
  • Richard Shelby, Alabama
  • Dan Sullivan, Alaska
  • Tom Carper, Delaware, Ranking Member
  • Ben Cardin, Maryland
  • Bernie Sanders, Vermont
  • Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
  • Jeff Merkley, Oregon
  • Kirsten Gillibrand, New York
  • Cory Booker, New Jersey
  • Ed Markey, Massachusetts
  • Tammy Duckworth, Illinois
  • Chris Van Hollen, Maryland

114th Congress

Majority Minority
  • Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma, Chair
  • David Vitter, Louisiana
  • John Barrasso, Wyoming
  • Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia
  • Mike Crapo, Idaho
  • John Boozman, Arkansas
  • Jeff Sessions, Alabama
  • Roger Wicker, Mississippi
  • Deb Fischer, Nebraska
  • Mike Rounds, South Dakota
  • Dan Sullivan, Alaska
  • Barbara Boxer, California, Ranking Member
  • Tom Carper, Delaware
  • Ben Cardin, Maryland
  • Bernie Sanders, Vermont
  • Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
  • Jeff Merkley, Oregon
  • Kirsten Gillibrand, New York
  • Cory Booker, New Jersey
  • Ed Markey, Massachusetts

Source: 2013 Congressional Record, Vol. 159, Page S296

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