United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Standing committee
Active United States Senate 119th Congress
History
Formed	February 4, 1977
Succeeded	Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds Committee on Public Works
Leadership
Chair	Shelley Moore Capito (R) Since January 3, 2025
Ranking member	Sheldon Whitehouse (D) Since January 3, 2025
Structure
Seats	19 members
Political parties	Majority (10)   Republican (10) Minority (9)   Democratic (8)   Independent (1)
Jurisdiction
Policy areas	Air 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 authority	Appalachian 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 counterpart	House 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

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.

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. ^[1]

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." ^[1]

Members, 119th Congress

Majority [2]	Minority [3]
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 [4] 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 [5]	Ranking Member [5]
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. The chairs of these committees were: ^[6]

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

• William S. Fulton (D-AR) 1838–1841
• John Leeds Kerr (W-MD) 1841–1842
• William L. Dayton (W-NJ) 1842–1845
• Simon Cameron (D-PA) 1845–1846
• Jesse D. Bright (D-IN) 1846–1847
• Robert M. T. Hunter (D-VA) 1847–1851
• James Whitcomb (D-IN) 1851–1852
• Charles James (D-RI) 1852–1853
• James Bayard (D-DE) 1853–1857

Chairs 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 (R-ME) 1867–1869
• Justin S. Morrill (R-VT) 1869–1878
• Henry Dawes (R-MA) 1878–1879
• Charles W. Jones (D-FL) 1879–1881
• Edward H. Rollins (R-NH) 1881–1883

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

• William Mahone (R-VA) 1883–1887
• Leland Stanford (R-CA) 1887–1893
• George Vest (D-MO) 1893–1895
• Matthew S. Quay (R-PA) 1895–1899
• Charles W. Fairbanks (R-IN) 1899–1905
• Francis E. Warren (R-WY) 1905
• Nathan B. Scott (R-WV) 1905–1911
• George Sutherland (R-UT) 1911–1913
• Claude A. Swanson (D-VA) 1913–1918
• James A. Reed (D-MO) 1918–1919
• Bert M. Fernald (R-ME) 1919–1926
• Irvine L. Lenroot (R-WI) 1926–1927
• Henry W. Keyes (R-NH) 1927–1933
• Tom Connally (D-TX) 1933–1942
• Francis Maloney (D-CT) 1942–1945
• Charles O. Andrews (D-FL) 1945–1947

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

• Chapman Revercomb (R-WV) 1947–1949
• Dennis Chavez (D-NM) 1949–1953
• Edward Martin (R-PA) 1953–1955
• Dennis Chavez (D-NM) 1955–1962
• Patrick V. McNamara (D-MI) 1962–1966
• Jennings Randolph (D-WV) 1966–1977

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

• Jennings Randolph (D-WV) 1977–1981
• Robert T. Stafford (R-VT) 1981–1987
• Quentin N. Burdick (D-ND) 1987–1992
• Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) 1992–1993
• Max Baucus (D-MT) 1993–1995
• John H. Chafee (R-RI) 1995–1999
• Bob Smith (R-NH) 1999–2001
• Harry Reid (D-NV) 2001
• Bob Smith (R-NH) 2001
• Jim Jeffords (I-VT) 2001–2003
• James Inhofe (R-OK) 2003–2007
• Barbara Boxer (D-CA) 2007–2015
• James Inhofe (R-OK) 2015–2017
• John Barrasso (R-WY) 2017–2021
• Tom Carper (D-DE) 2021–2025
• Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) 2025–present

Historical committee rosters

118th Congress

Majority [7]	Minority [8]
Tom Carper, Delaware, Chair Ben Cardin, Maryland Bernie Sanders, Vermont [4] 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 [4] 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 [4] 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 [4] 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 [4] 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

References

1. "Rule XXV(h) of the United States Senate | U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration". United States Senate. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
2. S.Res. 16, S.Res. 38 (119th Congress)
3. S.Res. 17 (119th Congress)
4. Bernie Sanders is an Independent, but caucuses with Democrats on the committee.
5. "Capito, Whitehouse Announce EPW Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress". U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works. January 28, 2025.
6. History of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1988.
7. S.Res. 30 (118th Congress)
8. S.Res. 31 (118th Congress)

External links

• U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works official website (Archive)
• Senate 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