Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
2/14/2014
It appears that the chairmanship for the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety has opened up as current Chairman Tom Carper (D- Del.) seeks to fill the chair position on the EPW’s Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure left open by the confirmation of former Sen. Max Baucus (D- Mont.) as the new ambassador to China. The leading candidates to fill the Clean Air and Nuclear Safety subcommittee chairmanship include Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.), although it is speculated that Sanders will cede this chairmanship to maintain his other chairman spots on other committees. Calls to Sanders’ office were not returned this week.
Meanwhile, Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) will join the EPW Committee, replacing the seat vacated by Baucus. Markey has long been a vocal critic on nuclear issues, an oversight item included in the EPW’s jurisdiction, and has pushed for legislation for faster removal of spent nuclear fuel and more robust investigations into aging reactors. EPW Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) welcomed the addition to her committee. “Senator Markey will be a great addition to the Environment and Public Works Committee because of his proven effectiveness as a legislator,” Boxer said in a release. “He has shown great leadership on the issues that the EPW Committee is working on right now, including addressing climate change, investing in critical transportation and water infrastructure, and ensuring that our nuclear facilities are safe and secure. I welcome Senator Markey to this Committee and look forward to working with him on these critical issues.” Markey also serves as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations, Commerce, and Small Business Committees.
Landrieu Takes Over Senate Energy Committee
Elsewhere, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) took over the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairmanship this week, following former Chairman Ron Wyden’s (D-Ore.) move to take over Baucus’ former Finance Committee chairmanship. Landrieu has not set an agenda for the remaining legislative calendar, but it is widely speculated that her focus will remain on oil and gas. “During the coming weeks and months, I will remain focused on moving an agenda forward that is inclusive, bipartisan and focused on the job creation that America needs and wants,” Landrieu said in a statement. “Everything we do will be part of helping to build the middle class and expanding opportunities for entrepreneurs in the domestic energy sector. Increasing domestic energy production and fortifying and expanding the infrastructure that connects producers, refiners and consumers will help us achieve this goal.”
