Congressman Cramer to Serve on Three Energy & Commerce Subcommittees
WASHINGTON, D.C. – It was announced last month Congressman Kevin Cramer will serve on the coveted Energy and Commerce Committee during the 114th Congress. Today, Committee Chairman Fred Upton announced Cramer’s subcommittee assignments as follows: Communications and Technology, Environment and the Economy, and Oversight and Investigations.
"I am pleased to serve on these three important Subcommittees in the next Congress. Some of the most crucial issues facing North Dakota and our nation will be debated in their hearings and meetings," said Cramer.
The Communications and Technology Subcommittee oversees electronic communications, including voice, video, audio and data, the broadcast, cable, and satellite industries, cybersecurity, privacy, and data security, the Federal Communications Commission, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
“In this subcommittee we have the opportunity to bring the Telecommunications Act into the 21st century by addressing issues including broadband deployment and Universal Service Fund reform, while looking out for rural telephone cooperatives and their customers. I intend to put my experience regulating telecommunications as a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner to use,” Cramer said.
The Environment and the Economy Subcommittee oversees soil and water health, including Superfund and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the regulation of energy combustion waste, emergency environmental response, the security of energy plants including cybersecurity, the regulation of drinking water (Safe Drinking Water Act), which includes hydraulic fracturing, and toxic substances (Toxic Substances Control Act).
“This subcommittee provides an important opportunity for me to look out for North Dakota’s natural resources above and below ground, and their incredible contribution to national and economic security,” Cramer added.
The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee has responsibility for oversight of agencies, departments, and programs related to the jurisdiction of the full committee, and for conducting investigations.
“Oversight is a critical component of any committee in Congress, and agencies like the Department of Energy and the EPA need a lot of it. I look forward to contributing my energy background toward rigorous and substantive debate on the issues with our agency heads,” said Cramer.