Energy and the Environment
Co-Chairs: Bobby Rush, Sheila Jackson-Lee
Members: Alcee Hastings, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Donna Christensen, G.K. Butterfield, Emanuel Cleaver
The Energy and Environment Taskforce is co-chaired by Bobby Rush and Sheila Jackson- Lee. The House Committees of jurisdiction for the Taskforce are the Committees on Natural Resources and Energy and Commerce.
Maintaining and protecting our environment is a top priority for many of our nation’s citizens. Properly utilizing and understanding how to protect our environment is paramount to the health of generations to come. Building a clean-energy economy provides a tremendous opportunity to reinvigorate and reinvest in the best part of the American dream. By ensuring that every community has equal access to the new opportunities of the green economy, we can lift millions of people out of poverty. The CBC frames this issue in terms of energy efficiency, job creation and environmental justice. Big polluters are disproportionately located in low-income communities and communities of color. Localized air pollution places an immense burden on the health and well-being of the surrounding communities.
The Energy and Environment Taskforce focuses on addressing innovations and equal opportunity in this industry. This group works to create a “Green Agenda” that comprehensively builds healthy families and sustainable communities by increasing job opportunities and educating low-income communities on environmental advances. The applicable portions of the House of Representatives Rule X for this taskforce’s jurisdiction are as follows:
Committee on Energy and Commerce.
(4) Interstate energy compacts.
(6) Exploration, production, storage, supply, marketing, pricing, and regulation of energy resources, including all fossil fuels, solar energy, and other unconventional or renewable energy resources.
(7) Conservation of energy resources.
(8) Energy information generally.
(11) National energy policy generally.
(13) Regulation of the domestic nuclear energy industry, including regulation of research and development reactors and nuclear regulatory research.
Committee on Natural Resources.
(1) Fisheries and wildlife, including research, restoration, refuges, and conservation.
(2) Forest reserves and national parks created from the public domain.
(3) Forfeiture of land grants and alien ownership, including alien ownership of mineral lands.
(13) Mining interests generally.
(14) Mining schools and experimental stations.
(15) Marine affairs, including coastal zone management
