Environment

The Subcommittee on Environment is a specialized division of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, one of Congress's broadest and oldest committees. The subcommittee focuses on a narrower slice of environmental policy, handling matters related to soil, air, noise, and water contamination, as well as emergency environmental response. It has jurisdiction over major environmental laws including the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund), Solid Waste Disposal Act, and Toxic Substances Control Act. The subcommittee also oversees hazardous and nuclear waste regulation, mining waste, and chemical facility safety standards.

Chaired by Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL), with Ranking Member Paul Tonko (D-NY), the subcommittee has 23 members. Palmer has led recent hearings examining drinking water safety, chemical safety law modernization, and advanced recycling innovation. The subcommittee also conducts oversight investigations, including recent inquiries into the California Air Resources Board's implementation of federal clean air standards and grant management within EPA environmental programs. Tonko, who has served as the highest-ranking Democrat on the panel since 2013, brings extensive experience in energy policy from his prior work with New York's energy authority.