This week, Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) was elected to serve as Chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. The Subcommittee is responsible for holding polluters accountable and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in areas under the Committee’s jurisdiction, including the climate crisis, public lands, wildfire management, and tribal affairs.

“Californians are already experiencing the devastation of the climate crisis, including record wildfires and deteriorating air quality,” Congresswoman Porter said. “I’m humbled and excited to chair the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to hold polluters accountable, safeguard all of our communities, and help spearhead solutions to the climate crisis.”

In addition to chairing the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Congresswoman Porter will also serve on the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee and the Public Lands and National Parks Subcommittee. The former has jurisdiction over oil and gas production on public lands, and the latter has jurisdiction over wilderness areas, national forests, and other protected landscapes. On these subcommittees, Porter will help advance policies to address the climate crisis and to get fair value for taxpayers on the development of natural resources.

The Natural Resources Committee’s jurisdiction over tribal affairs and public lands is particularly important to Orange County and California. The Golden State is home to the largest population of Native Americans in the country, and 45% of the State of California consists of land owned by the federal government. Half of California’s 45th Congressional District is preserved land, including the Cleveland National Forest which was threatened by wildfires last year.

Congresswoman Porter has been a consistent advocate for environmental protection. In Congress, she’s supported President Biden’s 30x30 agenda, which calls for 30% conservation of all U.S. land by 2030. She’s introduced legislation to give consumers more information how electricity is delivered to homes and businesses and to install electric vehicle charging stations along our nation’s highways. In her first term, Porter joined colleagues to pass the Climate Action Now Act, which included her amendment to recognize the important role of entrepreneurs and universities in establishing the U.S. as a global leader on clean technology.

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