Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
2/28/2014

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee announced this week that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) would take over as head of the Clean Air and Nuclear Safety subcommittee. The chairmanship opened up after Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) sought 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. Carper will head Transportation and Infrastructure, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) will take over the chair of the Oversight subcommittee.

Whitehouse has long been an advocate in the fight against climate change, and his chairmanship on this committee seems more geared towards clean air than nuclear issues, according to a release put out by his office. “This is a critical time in the fight for clean air and public health,” said Whitehouse in a release.  “People in downwind states like Rhode Island shouldn’t be inundated by pollution from power plants in other states.  As the Obama Administration continues to implement its Climate Action Plan – including badly needed limits on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants – we know that the polluting industries and their allies in Congress will fight back.  I look forward to using my position as chairman of the Clean Air Subcommittee to support the administration’s plan and push for the strongest possible standards,” he said.