Vitter Named Top Republican on Environment Committee

U.S. Senator David Vitter has been named deputy Senate whip and will take over as the top ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

The committee has jurisdiction over levees, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environment Protection Agency, and two major bills coming up this year: the highway bill and the Water Resources Development Act.

Vitter also remains on the Small Business, the Armed Services, the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committees.

He says in a news release that his position on Environment and Public Works will be particularly important. He says he will work for critical water and coastal resources and keep pushing to roll back EPA regulations that he says threaten to cripple the energy sector.