Click here to watch Chairman Barrasso’s remarks.  

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), delivered the following remarks at a committee business meeting. At the meeting, Barrasso gave an over view of his agenda for the committee in the 116^th Congress.

Barrasso highlighted his commitment to passing bipartisan legislation to: improve America’s highway infrastructure; protect and manage wildlife; and to support innovative technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Senator Barrasso’s remarks:

“Before we move to the items on the agenda, I would like to highlight this committee’s impressive history of working together on a bipartisan basis to pass important legislation for the American people.

“Last Congress, working closely with Ranking Member Carper, and all of the committee members, we wrote and passed major legislation into law.  

“We passed America’s Water Infrastructure Act, it included 29 separate introduced bills.

“We also passed the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act.

“This bipartisan law will make sure America remains a leader of nuclear energy innovation.

“Last Congress, our committee passed the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies Act, known as the USE IT Act, to support carbon utilization and direct air capture research.

“I look forward to continuing to work together to advance this legislation to reduce emissions.

“This Congress, our committee will build on that momentum.

“We will work together to write and pass a bipartisan highway bill that upgrades America’s roads and bridges, in a fiscally responsible way, and will help rural and urban areas.

“Our committee will also continue to focus on wildlife management and conservation efforts.

“Ranking Member Carper and I, along with Senator’s Inhofe, Whitehouse, Boozman, and Booker reintroduced the WILD Act from last Congress, which we will consider this morning.

“I agree with Ranking Member Carper when he stated that the WILD Act ‘would help make the United States a global leader on wildlife conservation. . .’

“The committee will also continue to process nominations.”

###