Standing committee of the United States Senate
Senate Energy Committee| Standing committee |
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| Formed | February 4, 1977 |
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| Succeeded | Committee on Public Lands
Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs |
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| Chair | Joe Manchin (D)
Since February 3, 2021 |
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| Ranking member | John Barrasso (R)
Since February 3, 2021 |
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| Seats | 19 members |
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| Political parties | Majority (10)
Minority (9)
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| Policy areas | Alaska Natives, Coal mining, Energy industry, Federal lands, Hydrocarbon exploration, Hydroelectricity, Irrigation, Insular areas, Mining, Natural resource management, Nuclear power, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Reclamation, Renewable energy, Territorial possessions, Water resources |
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| Oversight authority | Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Bonneville Power Administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Energy Information Administration, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Insular Affairs, National Nuclear Security Administration, National Park Service, Southeastern Power Administration, Southwestern Power Administration, Western Area Power Administration, United States Forest Service, United States Geological Survey |
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| House counterpart | House Committee on Energy and Commerce, House Committee on Natural Resources, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology |
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304 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. |
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| www.energy.senate.gov |
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The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and mineral resources, including nuclear development; irrigation and reclamation, territorial possessions of the United States, trust lands appertaining to America's indigenous peoples, and the conservation, use, and disposition of federal lands. Its roots go back to the Committee on Interior and Insulars Affairs. In 1977, it became the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and most matters regarding Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians were removed from its jurisdiction and transferred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
History
The Committee on Public Lands was created in 1816 during the 14th Congress chaired by senator Jeremiah Morrow. In its early years, it managed the settlement of the recently purchased Missouri Territory. Over time, the committee oversaw the western expansion of the United States, including the Texas annexation, the Oregon Treaty, the Mexican Cession, and the Gadsden Purchase. The Homestead Act of 1860, which would have benefited western settlers and migrants, was a result of jurisdiction of the Public Lands Committee.
In 1849, the Department of the Interior was established, with the Public Lands Committee serving as legislative oversight. The committee became responsible for enacting legislation to conserve nature and its resources. Due to the actions of the committee, Congress began working towards preservation of forests, wilderness, and historical landmarks with the signing of the Antiquities Act in 1906 and the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916.
The committee has gone under a number of name changes, but the functions and policy have remained similar to its creation. In 1921, the committee merged with the Committee on Geological Surveys to become the Committee of Public Lands and Surveys. Following the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, it became the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, absorbing the jurisdiction of the Indian Affairs, Territorial and Insular Affairs, Mines and Mining, and Irrigation and Reclamation committees. Its most recent iteration, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, was established on February 4, 1977, after the Committee System Reorganization Amendments of 1977.[1]
Legislation
Current congress
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adding to it. (March 2022)
See also: International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War § Oil
Notable past legislation
Jurisdiction
In accordance of Rule XXV of the United States Senate, all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects is referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources:
- Coal production, distribution, and utilization;
- Energy policy;
- Energy regulation and conservation;
- Energy related aspects of deepwater ports;
- Energy research and development;
- Extraction of minerals from oceans and Outer Continental Shelf lands;
- Hydroelectric power, irrigation, and reclamation;
- 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, and on the public domain, preservation of prehistoric ruins and objects of interest;
- Naval petroleum reserves in Alaska;
- Nonmilitary development of nuclear energy;
- Oil and gas production and distribution;
- Public lands and forests, including farming and grazing thereon, and mineral extraction therefrom;
- Solar energy systems; and,
- Territorial possessions of the United States, including trusteeships.[2]
The Committee is also charged to "study and review, on a comprehensive basis, matters relating to energy and resources development, and report thereon from time to time."[2]
