With Republicans set to win control of the House and possibly the Senate in the midterm elections, committees in charge of energy and climate change will see significant changes in legislative priorities. The new committee chairs will focus particularly on promoting domestic energy sources of all types, as well as on blocking the Obama Administration's regulatory efforts through the EPA, setting the stage for potential conflicts with the White House, but also opportunities to move forward on energy policy. In this GR Brief, the potential changes in committee control will be examined in detail, including what they will likely mean for energy legislation in the 112th Congress.

The very latest polls and conversations with senior Capitol Hill players indicate that the Republicans will gain a slight majority in the House of Representatives and will pick up around seven seats in the Senate; however, if voter sentiment is strong enough, the Senate could swing to GOP control as well.  In either case, the change breakdown of the Congress will mean substantial shifts in the direction in which Congress will go with energy policy.  If Republicans take back control of the House, they would shift focus from the traditionally Democratic priorities of addressing climate change and promoting renewable energy development toward greater federal support for fossil fuels and nuclear power.  Specific legislation, however, will depend on the priorities of the heads of the relevant committees and how well they work with their fellow members to develop solutions.  The Obama Administration will find itself fighting GOP-led efforts to halt its EPA regulation efforts, which many potential committee heads have targeted as a threat to the economy.  Still, energy legislation is still possible in the 112th Congress, but it will be more focused on using the levers of the legislative branch to expand domestic energy production than the current one.  In this GR Energy and Climate Brief, we look at the major committees in charge of energy, and examine how the election outcomes might affect their work in the next Congress.

House of Representatives

A Republican victory in the House of Representatives – which many influential Democrats and Republicans now view as a strong likelihood – would make current Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) the next Speaker of the House.  Boehner's record on energy in the House has been characterized mainly by opposition to climate change and renewable energy legislation, including the Waxman-Markey climate bill and the extension of the renewable energy tax credit. 

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