In our review of the standing (permanent) committees of the U.S. Senate, we’ve covered the committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Appropriations; Armed Services; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and Budget.
This week we’ll review more of the upper chamber’s twenty-four bodies as well as their respective subcommittees to see where their authorities lie.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Not only does this committee have broad oversight, it’s also one of the largest Senate committees, clocking in at twenty-eight members. Its roots stem from the Committee on Commerce and Manufacturing in the early 1800s, later splitting in the 1820s. The Legislative Reorganization Act (LRA) of 1946 saw many standing committees merged to increase efficiency, composing this committee of five separate bodies at the time.
The committee at-large has jurisdiction over the Coast Guard; coastal zone management; communications; highway safety; inland waterways; interstate commerce; marine and ocean navigation and safety; marine fisheries; merchant marine and navigation; nonmilitary aeronautical space and sciences; oceans, weather, and atmospheric activities; the Panama Canal and most other interoceanic canals; sports; regulation of interstate common carries, such as railroads, trucks, vessels, and pipelines; standards and measurements; and regulation of some consumer products and services.
The Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation has oversight over technology, engineering, astronautical, and aeronautical research and development, as well national and civil space policy, civil aviation research and development, and aviation safety and consumer protection. It has jurisdiction of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the civil aviation and civil space policy functions of the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce (DOC), and the National Space Council within the Executive Office of the President.
The Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media has oversight of all sectors of communications, including wired and wireless telephony; the Internet; commercial and noncommercial television; cable; satellite broadcast; satellite communications; wireline and wireless broadband; radio; spectrum and consumer electronic equipment related to these types of services; and public safety communications. It also has jurisdiction over the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the DOC.
The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security has jurisdiction over consumer affairs, consumer protection, and consumer product safety, as well as product liability, property and casualty insurance, manufacturing and workforce development, sports-related matters, and data privacy, security, and protection. This body is also charged with oversight of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and manufacturing- and trade-related issues within the DOC.
The Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries deals with coastal zone management; ocean, water, and atmospheric activities; marine fisheries; and marine mammals. It also has oversight of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the Marine Mammal Commission, the U.S. Global Change Research Program, the Minority Business Development Agency, and DOC-related matters of manufacturing bureaus and workforce development.
The Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness has oversight of NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Since 2009, the subcommittee has had oversight on science matters from the former Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation.
The Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety handles matters of interstate transportation policy issues. It also has broad jurisdiction over the DOT. The subcommittee has oversight over the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Surface Transportation Board. Safety and infrastructure regarding passenger and freight rails, including Amtrak, are also of this body’s jurisdiction. As of 2025, the committee was given its current name after having been known previously as the Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety.
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is divided 15R-13D. Ted Cruz (R-TX) serves as Chair and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) serves as Ranking Member.
Energy and Natural Resources Committee
This committee was originally created as the Committee on Public Lands in 1816, with one of its earliest tasks being presiding over the Missouri Territory after its purchase. It oversaw the western expansion of the U.S., including the Texas Annexation, the Oregon Treaty, the Mexican Cession, and the Gadsden Purchase. The Homestead Act of1860 was a result of this body’s jurisdiction.
The committee has jurisdiction over energy and mineral resources, nuclear development, irrigation and reclamation, territorial possessions of the U.S., trust lands of the Native American population, and the conservation, use, and disposition of federal lands. More specifically, it handles matters of coal production, distribution, and utilization; energy regulation and conservation; energy-related matters of deepwater ports; energy R&D, mineral extraction from oceans and Outer Continental Shelf lands; hydroelectric power; mining education and research; mining, mineral lands, mining claims, and mineral conservation; national parks, recreation areas, wilderness areas, wild and scenic rivers, historical sites, military parks and battlefields, preservations of prehistoric ruins and objects of interests; the National Petroleum Reserve; nonmilitary development of nuclear energy; oil and gas production and distribution; public lands and forests, as well as farming, grazing, and mineral extraction from said lands; solar energy systems; and territorial possessions of the U.S.
The Energy Subcommittee has oversight of nuclear, coal, and synthetic fuels R&D, nuclear fuel cycle policies, Department of Energy National Laboratories, global climate change, new technologies R&D, nuclear facilities siting and insurance programs, commercialization of new technologies, liquefied natural gas projects, oil and natural gas regulation, refinery policy, coal conversion, utility policy, Strategic Petroleum Reserves, and regulation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and other oil and gas pipelines within the Arctic.
The Subcommittee on National Parks is responsible for the National Park System; the Wild and Scenic Rivers System; the National Trails System; national recreation areas; national monuments; historic sites; military parks and battlefields; the Land and Water Conservation Fund; historic preservation; outdoor recreation resources; and preservation of prehistoric ruins and objects of interests on the public domain.
The Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining handles matters of public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service, including for farming and grazing. It also has oversight of wilderness areas, the establishment of wildlife refuges on public lands and wilderness designation, military land withdrawals, reserved water rights, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, territorial affairs, national mining and minerals policy, general mining laws, surface mining, mining education and research, federal mining leasing, Outer Continental Shelf leasing, naval oil shale reserves, the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and deep seabed mining.
The Water and Power Subcommittee has jurisdiction over the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation irrigation and reclamation projects, which includes flood-related controls; federal power marketing administrations; energy development impacts on water resources; groundwater resources and management; hydroelectric power; and energy-related matters of deepwater ports.
The Energy and Natural Resources Committee is divided 11R-9D, with one Independent caucusing with Democrats. Mike Lee (R-UT) serves as Chair and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) serves as Ranking Member.
Environment and Public Works Committee
This committee handles environmental protection, specifically air pollution; construction and maintenance of highways; environmental effects of toxic substances, other than pesticides; environmental policy; environmental research and development; fisheries and wildlife; flood control and improvements of rivers and harbors; environmental aspects of deepwater ports; noise pollution; nonmilitary environmental regulation and control of nuclear energy; ocean dumping; public buildings and improved grounds, including federal buildings in the District of Columbia; public works, bridges, and dams; regional economic development; solid waste disposal, recycling; water pollution; and water resources.
The Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure handles matters of the Federal Highway Administration, the Highway Program, construction and maintenance of highways, public works, bridges, and dams, the General Services Administration, public buildings and improved grounds, including federal buildings in D.C., and Green Building Standards. Relating to water, it oversees the Army Corps of Engineers, Water Resources Development, the National Dam Safety Program, flood control and improvements of rivers and harbors, and water resources. It also has jurisdiction over the Economic Development Agency, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Northern Border Regional Commission, the Delta Regional Authority, and the Mississippi River Commission.
The Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety has oversight of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, the Clean Air Act, indoor air, and air pollution. On nuclear issues, it has oversight over the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, nuclear plant safety, and nonmilitary environmental regulation and control of nuclear energy. Additionally, it has oversight over the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight deals with Superfund and waste issues, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, among others. It also handles the EPA’s Office of Pollution Control and Prevention, the Toxic Substances Control Act, chemical policy and security, persistent organic pollutants, environmental R&D, and the Council on Environmental Quality.
The Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water has oversight over the Fish and Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Refuges, the Endangered Species Act, the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act invasive species, sportsmen’s issues, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, ocean dumping, water pollution, and environmental aspects of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands.
The Environment and Public Works Committee is divided 10R-9D, with one Independent caucusing with the Democrats. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) serves as Chair and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) serves as Ranking Member.
As an aside for the benefit of local relevance, this is the committee that former Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) testified before for his interview to lead President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
