Committees

 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Ever since the first Congress authorized a lighthouse on Cape Henry, Virginia as an aid to ships sailing through Hampton Roads, the Congress of the United States has been involved in providing for the nation’s transportation infrastructure.  In the more than two hundred years since the Cape Henry Lighthouse first shown out across the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the Committees of the House of Representatives responsible for public works and infrastructure have changed names and grown in scope.  What was once the Rivers and Harbors Committee is now the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.  However, the mission remains essentially the same: provide a strong backbone upon which the nation’s people and commerce can flourish.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee currently has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation: aviation, maritime and waterborne transportation, roads, bridges, mass transit, and railroads.  But the Committee has jurisdiction over other aspects of our national infrastructure, such as clean water and waste water management, the transport of resources by pipeline, flood damage reduction, the economic development of depressed rural and urban areas, disaster preparedness and response, activities of the Army Corps of Engineers and the various missions of the Coast Guard. 

When combined, these areas of jurisdiction provide a comprehensive view of how communities across the United States are connected to one another, how infrastructure affects the growth and flow of commerce at home and abroad, and how an effective government can improve the lives of its citizens.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, with 59 Members, is one of the largest committee in Congress.  Its six subcommittees are:

  • Aviation
  • Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
  • Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
  • Highways and Transit
  • Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials
  • Water Resources and Environment

Committee on Natural Resources     

Chaired by Doc Hastings of Washington, considers legislation about American energy production, mineral lands and mining, fisheries and wildlife, public lands, oceans, Native Americans, irrigation and reclamation.

The Committee is divided into five subcommittees:

Additionally, Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee are working on a wide range of important issues, including:

  • Increasing America's Economic Competitiveness and Creating New Jobs
    House Republicans are focused on creating new jobs and putting people back to work. The Natural Resources Committee is promoting policies that will grow our economy and foster new job creation.
  • Oversight of the Obama Administration
    Congress has a responsibility to keep the Administration accountable to the American people and ensure that decisions are open and transparent.
  • All-of-the-Above Energy Approach
    An all-of-the-above approach will create jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil by responsibly developing our wind, solar, hydropower, nuclear, biomass, clean coal, oil and natural gas resources.
  • Securing our Border on Federal Lands
    The inability of Border Patrol to effectively secure the border on public lands has contributed to environmental damage, drug smuggling, human trafficking, violent crimes, and national security risks.

     

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

Has jurisdiction over all energy research, development, and demonstration, and projects therefor, and all federally owned or operated non-military energy laboratories; astronautical research and development, including resources, personnel, equipment, and facilities; civil aviation research and development; environmental research and development; marine research; commercial application of energy technology; National Institute of Standards and Technology, standardization of weights and measures and the metric system; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Science Foundation; National Weather Service; outer space, including exploration and control thereof; science scholarships; scientific research, development, and demonstration, and projects therefor. The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology shall review and study on a continuing basis laws, programs, and Government activities relating to non-military research and development.

Subcommittee on Energy and Environment

Legislative jurisdiction and general oversight and investigative authority on all matters relating to energy research, development, and demonstration and projects therefor, commercial application of energy technology, and environmental research, including: Department of Energy research, development, and demonstration programs; Department of Energy laboratories; Department of Energy science activities; energy supply activities; nuclear, solar and renewable energy, and other advanced energy technologies; uranium supply and enrichment, and Department of Energy waste management and environment, safety, and health activities as appropriate; fossil energy research and development; clean coal technology; energy conservation research and development; energy aspects of climate change; pipeline research, development, and demonstration projects; energy and environmental standards; energy conservation, including building performance, alternate fuels for and improved efficiency of vehicles, distributed power systems, and industrial process improvements; Environmental Protection Agency research and development programs; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including all activities related to weather, weather services, climate, the atmosphere, marine fisheries, and oceanic research; risk assessment activities; and scientific issues related to environmental policy,