IDAHO’S SIMPSON GRABS TOP SPOT ON HOUSE E&W APPROPS PANEL

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) is taking over the top spot on the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee in what is expected to be a big boost for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. Simpson is taking over for Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), who moved to the top spot on the Defense Appropriations Committee after the death of former chairman C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.), House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said yesterday. With Idaho National Laboratory in his state, Simpson has long been a major supporter of DOE’s cleanup efforts, and his presence atop the subcommittee is expected to bring increased funding and focus on cleanup work, which has suffered as budget belt-tightening has driven spending down in recent years. “Whether it’s the cleanup of sites like INL, the maintenance of our nation’s nuclear weapons, or the many vital water projects across the Western United States, the Energy and Water Subcommittee’s work touches almost every community in Idaho and across the country,” Simpson said in a statement. “I have served on the Subcommittee for a number of years and have worked hard to learn about the issues before it and the federal programs under its jurisdiction. I am looking forward to getting to work immediately.”