Jurisdiction » Subcommittee on Water Resources & Environment

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 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.

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

• Water resources programs (projects and regulations) -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)
• Clean Water Act, water infrastructure and watershed protection programs -- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Clean Water Act, regulatory authorities -- EPA and Corps
• Superfund and brownfields revitalization -- EPA
• Ocean dumping -- Corps and EPA
• Oil pollution -- EPA and U.S. Coast Guard
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
• Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation -- U.S. Department of Transportation
• Small watershed program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service -- U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Deepwater ports -- EPA, Coast Guard, Corps
• Invasive/aquatic nuisance species -- EPA, Coast Guard, Corps, and other agencies
• Coastal pollution and coastal zone management -- EPA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Natural resource damages -- NOAA, Interior, and other agencies
• Groundwater protection -- EPA and Corps
• Water resources policy -- multiple agencies