Rep. Huffman Elected as Chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee

February 17, 2021

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Democratic members of the House Committee on Natural Resources elected Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) to serve as the Chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee. Rep. Huffman previously held this position in the 116th Congress when the Democrats first won the House majority.  

“I’m honored to be elected by my colleagues to continue my role as Chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee,” said Rep. Huffman. “Over the past two years, we have done extraordinary work to improve the health of our oceans and economy of our coastal communities, respond to the threat of climate change on water supplies, and advance smart solutions to natural resources challenges. I’m looking forward to building on that progress during the 117th Congress to tackle some of the most challenging conservation policy problems of our time. With the new Biden administration and Democratic majority in both the House and Senate, we will finally have a whole-of-government approach to addressing the increasingly dire impacts of our changing climate and ensuring environmental equity for all communities.” 

In this role, Rep. Huffman will work to: 

  • Champion the health of our oceans, by using his agenda-setting power to get the facts out about the importance of our oceans and the impacts of climate change, helping keep U.S. fisheries sustainable under a strong Magnuson Stevens Act, and by addressing illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing. 

  • Help ecosystems and vulnerable communities adapt to water scarcity and drought caused by the impacts of climate change. 

  • Tackle the biodiversity crisis, by promoting protection for at risk species and their habitats, and combating wildlife tracking. 

  • Support communities, by improving coastal resiliency, enhancing the growing outdoor recreation economy, and improving water infrastructure.  

The Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee has jurisdiction over critical water issues such as water rights and settlements, water resource research and development, and irrigation and reclamation projects. On oceans, the subcommittee is responsible for overseeing fisheries management and research, coastal and marine issues, oceanography and ocean technologies, and coastal zone management. The subcommittee also has jurisdiction over measures related to international wildlife, the Endangered Species Act, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. 

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