Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works handles legislation and oversight of the natural and built environment, including environmental protection, resource conservation, and federal infrastructure. Its jurisdiction covers air and water pollution, highways and bridges, water resources, solid waste disposal, fisheries and wildlife, flood control, nuclear energy regulation, and federal buildings. The committee reviews hundreds of bills each Congress and conducts hearings on major policy issues affecting the environment and infrastructure.

Bills referred to the committee follow a standard process: they are assigned to relevant subcommittees for review, hearings may be held on specific proposals, and the committee considers and develops bills through a markup process before reporting them to the full Senate for a floor vote. The committee's six subcommittees focus on specialized areas including chemical safety and waste management, clean air and nuclear innovation, fisheries and water resources, and transportation and infrastructure.

The committee is currently chaired by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) serving as Ranking Member. Recent committee activity includes hearings on federal environmental review and permitting processes, and consideration of bills addressing water infrastructure, chemical regulation, wildlife conservation, and diesel emissions reduction.