DeGette appointed to House Natural Resources Committee
Move comes one week after the Colorado Democrat was named Chair of a key House oversight panel
Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) today was appointed to serve as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee.
The move gives the Colorado Democrat even more sway to influence future environmental policy as it comes just one week after she was named the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's powerful and far-reaching Oversight and Investigations panel, which has direct oversight authority over the Environmental Protection Agency.
"Coloradans know how important our natural resources are to our way of life and our state's overall economy," DeGette said. "As Chair of the Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations panel, and now also as a member of the Natural Resources Committee, I will be doing everything I can to ensure our state's treasured resources are protected for future generations to enjoy."
The House Natural Resources Committee is responsible for enacting policies aimed at protecting our nation's wilderness and conservation sites. It's also responsible for establishing renewable energy sources and preparing communities for climate change, as well as growing the outdoor recreation economy by protecting America's endangered wildlife and enhancing our national parks.
DeGette says one of her top priorities as a member of the committee will be to seek passage of legislation she plans to introduce in the coming months that would designate an additional 740,000 acres in Colorado as federally-protected Wilderness, giving it the highest level of land protection available.
DeGette introduced similar legislation – known as the Colorado Wilderness Act – last year, but it never got a hearing or a vote in the House Natural Resources Committee needed to advance. Now, as a member of the committee herself, DeGette hopes she can work with her fellow committee members to garner the support needed to get the bill approved.
The appointment, which was announced by House leadership Thursday, means DeGette will now officially serve on two major House committees during the upcoming two-year legislative session: the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee.
In addition to serving on the two broader committees, DeGette will also serve as a senior member on the Energy and Commerce's subcommittee on Communication and Technology; Energy and Commerce's subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change; and as the Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.