As important as is the outcome of the presidential race this November, environmental lawyers, lobbyists, and advocates who watch Congress are keenly aware that the simultaneous congressional elections on November 3 are key to the nature and success of an environmental agenda in the next two years.

The committees that regulate the environment in the House of Representatives can be expected to change substantially in the 103d Congress, while the Senate appears, for the moment, to be a bit more stable. That much is certain. What is less clear is who will benefit from the expected turnover in the key committees.