Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito led a hearing as Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The session focused on the nominations of Katherine Scarlett for the Council on Environmental Quality and Jeffrey Hall for the Environmental Protection Agency.
During the hearing, Chairman Capito questioned both nominees about their qualifications and plans regarding environmental policies. In her inquiry to Katherine Scarlett, Capito asked about her motivation for taking on the role and how her past experience prepared her. Scarlett responded by emphasizing her desire to reform the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, which she described as broken.
Capito also sought assurances from Scarlett regarding NEPA implementation: “Will you commit to faithfully implementing...any additional permitting and environmental review reforms passed into law?” Scarlett affirmed her commitment to implement any new provisions passed by Congress.
The discussion with Jeffrey Hall centered around Superfund site cleanups. Capito highlighted issues with long-standing sites that have not been resolved. Hall assured that Superfund enforcement is a priority and committed to using all available tools to expedite cleanups.
The hearing underscored ongoing efforts to improve environmental policy implementation in the United States.
