Rep. Bruce Westerman was selected­ to serve his first term as Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member in the 116th Congress. Now serving his third term in Congress, Rep. Westerman worked to ensure passage of last year’s Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which was included in the America’s Water Infrastructure Act. He is the previous Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the Committee on Natural Resources. An engineer and forester by trade, he is also a former state legislator, having served as Republican House Majority Leader in the Arkansas House of Representatives before being elected to Congress. For more information about Ranking Member Westerman, click here.

Subcommittee Jurisdiction:

The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment consists generally of matters relating to water resources development, conservation and management, water pollution control and water infrastructure, and hazardous waste cleanup.  A number of agencies administer programs that address one or more of these issues; two agencies in particular, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), oversee the larger programs of concern to the Subcommittee.

Through its Civil Works Program, the Corps constructs projects for the purposes of navigation, flood control, beach erosion control and shoreline protection, hydroelectric power, recreation, water supply, environmental protection, restoration and enhancement, and fish and wildlife mitigation.

EPA has the primary responsibility for carrying out the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, commonly known as the Clean Water Act.  This act provides for a major federal/state program to protect, restore, and maintain the quality of the nation’s waters. Although EPA is responsible for carrying out the Act, significant parts of the program may be administered by the states if approved by EPA.

One of the highest priorities of the Subcommittee is the regular passage of a Water Resources Development Act to continue improving America’s ports, locks, dams, inland waterways, and other water resources infrastructure.  Congress is back on track to authorizing water resources infrastructure improvements every two years, and we must maintain this schedule to strengthen our economic competitiveness.

Issues and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee include: