Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Right's Right Environment For the Environment: Rep. Schweikert To Focus On Oversight As Chair Of Environment Subcommittee

Arizona Rep. David Schweikert (R-CD6) will assume the chairmanship of the U.S. House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Environment.  Schweikert says he is "honored" and sees it as an opportunity to rein in the Obama Administration's propensity to "impose its will on the American people through regulatory fiat."

Though the news release from the Science, Space and Technology Committee does focus on the oversight function, the statement from Chair Lamar Smith (R-TX) does note that the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") should "utilize the best available science.”  Neither Smith nor Schweikert mentioned protecting the environment as a present concern of the committee.

Schweikert's office notes that the Subcommittee also has jurisdiction over "the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)."


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2 comments:

Steve Muratore aka Arizona Eagletarian said...

It's important to note that Schweikert did not adopt the tone that Gosar took when he set up the dog and pony show last summer to bash the EPA. I'm cautiously optimistic that the Arizona Congressman will approach his responsibilities in the subcommittee chairmanship with the fairness and concern for the best scientific insight available. If he does that, and guards against Tea Party irrationality, it may, in fact, end up being a good thing for Arizona.

Mitch M. said...

Thanks, Steve. True, the tone may be slightly different. But, the messaging was all oversight, no mention about the environment.