Congressional Committees
The following presents information regarding committees with jurisdiction over issues of interest to ASLO Members.
Influencing Congress isn’t as simple as contacting the members of the House and Senate that represent your district. Congress works under the committee system, dividing issues up amongst its members. Most legislation dealing with issues of concern to ASLO members is most heavily debated and amended at the committee level. Therefore, if you have information of relevance to a particular national policy, you may wish to speak with the appropriate committee members. Below is a brief guide to help you determine who those members are. As always, if you need assistance contacting members of Congress, please contact the ASLO Director of Public Affairs.
Click here to download this committee guide as a pdf.U.S. House of Representatives
- Committee on Agriculture
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Interior and Environment
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans
- Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
- Subcommittee on Water and Power
- Committee on Science
- Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
- Subcommittee on Research and Science Education
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
U.S. Senate
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation
- Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and the Coast Guard
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
U.S. House of Representatives (www.house.gov)
For general and historical information on the committee system in the House, click here.
For each committee, the homepage will provide a full listing of subcommittees, membership rosters, link to the minority website and news releases. Some committees also archive webcasts of hearings.
- Committee on Agriculture
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: agricultural education and research, soil conservation, entomology and plant quarantine, plant industry, soils and agricultural engineering, water conservation related to activities of the Department of Agriculture.
Chair: Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN)
Ranking Member: Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Website http://agriculture.house.gov/index.shtml - Committee on Appropriations
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: makes appropriations for discretionary federal spending, including research funding and aquatic resource conservation and civil works.
Chair: Rep. David Obey (D-WI)
Ranking Member: Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
Website http://appropriations.house.gov/default.aspx
Subcommittees of particular interest:
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science
Jurisdiction: provides appropriations for NOAA, NASA and NSF
Chair: Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Ranking Member: Rep. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)
Website http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_cjs.shtml
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Jurisdiction: Department of Energy and civil works of the US Army Corps of Engineers
Chair: Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-IN)
Ranking Member: Rep. David Hobson (R-OH)
Website http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_ew.shtml
Subcommittee on Interior and Environment
Jurisdiction: US Forest Service (note it is not in the Agriculture subcommittee), EPA, Smithsonian, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, other Department of Interior programs
Chair: Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA)
Ranking Member: Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS)
Website http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_ienv.shtml
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: greenhouse gas emissions and climate change
Chair: Rep. John Dingell (D-MI)
Ranking Member: Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX)
Website http://energycommerce.house.gov/
- Committee on Natural Resources
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: environmental and habitat measures and matters of general applicability, e.g. endangered species act and fisheries management.
Chair: Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV)
Ranking Member: Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
Website http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/
Subcommittees of particular interest:
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans
Jurisdiction: fisheries management and research; wildlife resources including research, restoration, refuges and conservation; oceanography, estuarine protection, coastal zone management; Sea Grant programs and marine extension services.
Chair: Rep. Madeleine Bordallo, (D-Guam)
Ranking Member: Rep. Henry Brown (R-SC)
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
Jurisdiction: federal water rights on forest reserves, Wild and Scenic Rivers System
Chair: Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Ranking Member: Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT)
Subcommittee on Water and Power
Jurisdiction: water resource research and development; compacts relating to the use and apportionment of interstate waters, water rights and major interbasin water or power movement programs; cooperative efforts to encourage, enhance and improve international programs for the protection of the environment and the conservation of natural resources.
Chair: Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Ranking Member: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
- Committee on Science
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: National Science Foundation, science programs at Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Chair: Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN)
Ranking Member: Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX)
Website http://science.house.gov/
Subcommittees of Particular Interest:
Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
Jurisdiction: environmental research programs at EPA, NOAA and other agencies; scientific issues related to environmental policy, including climate change.
Chair: Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX)
Ranking Member: Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC)
Subcommittee on Research and Science Education
Jurisdiction: scientific and engineering resources and education; intergovernmental mechanisms for research and development; international scientific cooperation, National Science Foundation; university research policy and partnerships.
Chair: Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA)
Ranking member: Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: federal management of emergencies and natural disasters, flood control and improvement of rivers and harbors, inland waterways including wetlands, marine affairs as they relate to oil and other pollution of navigable waters, water power and navigation.
Chair: Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN)
Ranking member: Rep. John Mica (R-FL)
Website http://transportation.house.gov/
Subcommittees of particular interest:
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Jurisdiction: Army Corps of Engineers projects including flood control, navigation, water supply, hydroelectric power, environmental restoration, shoreline protection, and recreation; inland, coastal and ocean water pollution control, including Clean Water Act, wetlands protection and enhancement, and some small watershed projects of the National Resources Conservation Service.
Chair: Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
Ranking Member: Rep. Richard H. Baker (R-LA)
U.S. Senate (www.senate.gov)
For basic information regarding the Senate’s committee system, click here.
For each committee, the homepage will provide a full listing of subcommittees, membership rosters, link to the minority website and news releases. Some committees also archive webcasts of hearings.
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: agricultural research and extension; soil conversation; food from fresh waters; forestry, forest reserves, and wilderness areas other than those created from the public domain; pests and pesticides.
Chair: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Ranking member: Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Website http://agriculture.senate.gov/
- Committee on Appropriations
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: makes appropriation for discretionary federal spending, including research funding and aquatic resource conservation and civil works.
Chair: Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Ranking Member: Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Website http://appropriations.senate.gov/
Subcommittees of particular interest:
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
Jurisdiction: Allocates funding for NOAA, NASA, NSF
Chair: Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Ranking Member: Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Jurisdiction: Allocates funding for Department of Energy and Army Corps of Engineers
Chair: Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Ranking Member: Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
Jurisdiction: Allocates funding for Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, and Smithsonian
Chair: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Ranking Member: Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID)
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: Ocean policy, including marine fisheries and marine transportation. In alternating sessions, Commerce has lead jurisdiction over NSF authorizations (jurisdiction rotates between this committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee).
Chair: Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Ranking member: Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Website http://commerce.senate.gov/public/
Subcommittees of particular interest:
Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation
Jurisdiction: NASA, NOAA, Office of Science and Technology policy, stem cell research, international science and technology, and NSF (alternating sessions only)
Chair: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)
Ranking Member: Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)
Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and the Coast Guard
Jurisdiction: marine fisheries
Chair: Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Ranking Member: Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME)
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: energy policy and research; extraction of minerals from oceans and Outer Continental Shelf lands; hydroelectric power, irrigation and reclamation; national parks, wild and scenic rivers; oil and gas production and distribution; territorial possessions of the US; Antarctic research and energy development; Arctic research and energy development.
Chair: Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Ranking Member: Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)
Website http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Home.Home
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
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ASLO-relevant jurisdiction: air pollution; environmental aspects of Outer Continental Shelf lands; environmental effects of toxic substances other than pesticides; environmental policy; environmental research and development; fisheries and wildlife; flood control and improvements of rivers and harbors; ocean dumping; public works including bridges and dams; water pollution; water resources.
Chair: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Ranking Member: Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK)
Website http://epw.senate.gov/public/