Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

The Committee on Environment and Public Works is a United States Senate committee responsible for dealing with matters related to the environment and infrastructure.

2007 control shifts
After the 2006 elections, Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) announced his intention to seek the position of Ranking Member on the EPW committee, a direct challenge to outgoing chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who would normally retain his position as the highest-ranked member of his party on the committee. The change would be significant because, due to the Democratic control of the Senate beginning in 2007, the likely incoming chair is Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). Boxer has called global warming a dire threat and Warner has called for action to combat it. Inhofe, in contrast, has repeatedly called global warming a hoax. 

Investigation of CDC testimony
Senate Democrats wanted to investigate the circumstances involved in the editing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Julie L. Gerberding's written testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on "climate change and public health." The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) removed several sections of the testimony that detailed how global warming would affect Americans and they questioned whether Gerberding's statements matched those released this year by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "It is important to note that the edits made to the written testimony document did not alter or affect my messages to the Senate committee," she said. "I was perfectly happy with the testimony I gave to the committee, and was very pleased for the opportunity to have a frank and candid discussion with the Senate committee on the public health issues associated with climate change." However, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) still demanded that a copy of all drafts and comments of the testimony be sent to OMB or other offices."

External articles

 * Charles Babington, "Party Shift May Make Warming a Priority," Washington Post, November 18, 2006.

Contact information
Committee Web site


 * Majority staff office - (202) 224-6176
 * Minority staff office - (202) 224-8832