Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Water, Wildlife and Fisheries
Livestream Next Week: Tuesday Hearing on Ocean Climate Action Bill – Effort Would Create Jobs, Reduce Emissions, Protect Millions From Climate Impacts
Washington, D.C. - The full House Committee on Natural Resources, led by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), will hold a legislative hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time titled Ocean Climate Action: Solutions to the Climate Crisis. The hearing will include consideration of Grijalva's H.R. 8632, the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, introduced on Oct. 20. The 324-page package is the first comprehensive legislative effort to fully utilize oceans' climate mitigation potent… Continue Reading
10.20.20
Chairs Grijalva, Castor Introduce Landmark Oceans Solutions Bill to Tackle Climate Crisis
Washington D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today unveiled his Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act at a virtual press conference with his co-lead, House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Chair Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), original cosponsors, and a range of bill endorsers. This landmark legislation was introduced by more than a dozen members of the House of Representatives to address the ocean impacts of climate change and reform federal ocean manage… Continue Reading
10.05.20
Chair Grijalva, Committee Democrats Release “The Melting Arctic” Report Ahead of Today’s Forum on Impacts to People and Wildlife
Washington D.C. - Today Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva and Committee Democrats released a new report entitled The Melting Arctic: Climate Change Impacts on People and Wildlife to accompany a livestreamed Democratic forum to investigate the same topic that will commence today at 2:00 pm Eastern time. The full report, available online at https://bit.ly/34oGxQJ, provides an in-depth look at the extreme negative impacts the climate crisis has had on this fragile landscap… Continue Reading
10.02.20
Chair Grijalva, Ranking Member Bishop Highlight New GAO Report They Requested on Deficiencies in Federal Oversight of Human Rights Abuses
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Rob Bishop (R-Utah) today highlighted a newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report they had requested demonstrating more safeguards need to be put in place to ensure taxpayer money does not support human rights abuses by park rangers overseas. The GAO report, Combatting Wildlife Trafficking: Agencies Work to Address Human Rights Abuse Allegations in Overseas Conserva… Continue Reading
09.15.20
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Huffman Seek Explanation From NOAA Following Political Hire of Climate Denier David Legates to Leadership Role
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, sent a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Acting Administrator Neil Jacobs today seeking information about the process used to hire climate denier Dr. David Legates as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction. Legates has spent his career denying the widely accepted scien… Continue Reading
07.07.20
Chair Grijalva, Ranking Member Cantwell Urge Trump Administration to Stop Obstructing Release of “Sharpiegate” Report
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Senate Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who lead the committees of jurisdiction over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross demanding that the Trump administration stop interfering with the Department of Commerce Inspector General's (IG) "Sharpiegate" investigation that was scheduled to be released last week. The report evaluates the alleged political interference i… Continue Reading
07.01.20
Chair Grijalva Hails House Infrastructure Package – Highlights Advances on Water Infrastructure, Habitat and Coastal Protection, Tribal & Territorial Funding
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed House passage of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, and highlighted the many environmental conservation and water availability improvements the bill includes. A fact sheet laying out the bill's improvements in the Natural Resources Committee's jurisdiction is available at https://bit.ly/31BWJP2, Highlights include: Investing in modern water infrastructure projects that will provide reliable water supplies in a changing clim… Continue Reading
06.30.20
Chair Grijalva Hails Climate Committee Recommendations – Highlights Public Lands Net-Zero Carbon Bill, Environmental Justice, Other Measures
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva today congratulated the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and Chair Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) on today's comprehensive report recommending a broad and aggressive policy approach to climate change. The Committee, Grijalva said, has done a vital public service in focusing on the greatest threat humanity faces and basing its recommendations on thorough public outreach. Grijalva praised Speaker Nancy Pelosi's determination to create the Committee an… Continue Reading
06.25.20
In New Letter, Chair Grijalva and Rep. Huffman Highlight President Trump’s Failure to Distribute Congressionally Approved Funding for Hard-Hit Fishermen
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, sent a letter to President Trump today questioning his administration's unexplained failure to distribute $300 million in financial aid to Tribal, subsistence, commercial, and charter fishery participants three months after Congress approved the measure as part of the CARES Act, which became law on March 27. The letter is available at https://bit… Continue Reading
06.18.20
GAO Report Requested by Chair Grijalva Finds Customs & Border Protection Needs to Improve Stakeholder Outreach on Reducing Slavery in Seafood Industry
Washington, D.C. - In a new report today requested by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have not effectively coordinated with partner agencies to reduce human slavery and illegal labor practices in the seafood industry and need to improve their investigative methods. The report makes clear that collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), affiliated no… Continue Reading
05.08.20
Chair Grijalva Introduces Murder Hornet Eradication Act – Directs Funding to States for Eradication Programs, Impacted Bee Colony Restoration
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced the Murder Hornet Eradication Act, which directs new funding to states to eradicate the Asian giant hornet and restore bee populations the invasive species has already damaged. Formally, the bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to states to eradicate the hornet. The bill, available online at https://bit.ly/35OmpYD, is modeled on the Nutria Eradication a… Continue Reading
03.02.20
Grijalva Says “Maintaining Status Quo Isn’t Enough” as Center for American Progress Releases Report on House Dem Conservation Successes
Washington D.C. - The Center for American Progress (CAP) released a new report today highlighting the efforts of House Democrats "to reverse a decade of legislative obstruction and stagnation in U.S. land, water, and wildlife conservation." The report contrasts the actions taken by the Democratic majority in the 116th Congress with the efforts by Republicans in previous Congresses, underscoring the many ways in which Democrats prioritize natural resource conservation for the benefit of the Ameri… Continue Reading
02.26.20
Dems Push Big Climate Solutions as Republicans Repeat Tired, Years-Old Climate Denial Talking Points After Weeks of Touting New Thinking
Washington, D.C. - Republicans at today's recently concluded hearing on the ways to address climate change with public lands repeated the same years-old climate denial talking points they've used to reject action in previous congresses, calling their recent attempted pivot on the issue into question and underscoring Republican leadership's inability to produce serious plans that rank-and-file members support. The hearing - on Chair Raúl M. Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) American Public Lands and W… Continue Reading
02.14.20
Nat. Resources Committee Holding Feb. 26 Hearing on Chair Grijalva’s Public Lands and Waters Climate Change Bill, Rep. Westerman’s “Trillion Trees Act
Washington, D.C. - The Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on Feb. 26 at 10:00 a.m. in Longworth 1324 on two bills introduced by Committee members designed to address climate change. H.R. 5435, the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act, was introduced on Dec. 16, 2019, by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.). It requires public lands and waters to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. H.R. 5859, the Trillion Trees Act, was introduced on Feb. 12, … Continue Reading
02.12.20
Natural Resources Committee Approves Resolution Authorizing Chair to Issue Subpoenas, Bills to Increase Access to Clean Water
Washington D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee today voted to grant Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) the authority to issue subpoenas, and approved several water and energy bills. "This Committee, regardless of who is in power, cannot be an inconvenience to whatever administration happens to be in power," Chair Grijalva said. "And we have never confronted an administration like the Trump administration that sees the role of this branch of government as irrelevant and inconvenien… Continue Reading
01.29.20
Natural Resources Committee Advances Bills Tackling Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss by Protecting Endangered Species and Habitats
Washington D.C. - Today Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led a Committee markup to advance nine pieces of legislation, including key Natural Resources measures to reverse President Trump's efforts to gut the Endangered Species Act and to reduce climate change impacts on at-risk species. Among the measures advanced today, the Committee approved H.R. 4348, Chair Grijalva's bill repealing the misguided Endangered Species Act regulations the Trump administration issued last year. Under Trump… Continue Reading
12.10.19
Chair Grijalva Hails House Passage of Bipartisan Coastal Resilience Package That Fights Climate Change, Helps Communities Prepare
Washington D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved a package of bills originally heard in the Natural Resources Committee to protect vulnerable coastal and Great Lakes communities impacted by the climate crisis. Rep. Derek Kilmer's (D-Wash.) Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act (H.R. 729) is a package of 10 bipartisan coastal resilience bills that aid coastal ecosystems and economies, improve ocean monitoring and research, and offer coastal managers tools to protec… Continue Reading
12.10.19
Chair Grijalva, Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Write to House and Senate Interior Appropriators Urging Clarity, Funding Limits on BLM Horse Program
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers today wrote to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate appropriations panels with oversight of the Department of the Interior (DOI) to urge funding limits and additional clarity on a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pilot program to manage wild horse populations in the West. The letter, available at http://bit.ly/2RDM29C, is directed to Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Tom Udall (D-N… Continue Reading
12.05.19
Natural Resources Committee Advances Bills to Protect Native Women, Children and Families, Designate Wilderness, and Recover Wildlife
Washington D.C. - Today Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led a Committee markup to advance key Natural Resources priorities, including bills to protect Native women, children and families from violence. Among other measures, the Committee approved H.R. 3977, sponsored by Committee Vice Chair Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), which expands the jurisdiction of tribal courts to prosecute non-Native perpetrators who commit crimes of sexual violence on tribal lands, and H.R. 4957, sponsored by Subco… Continue Reading
11.20.19
House Passes Collection of Bipartisan Conservation Bills, Including Ban on Trade in Shark Fins, Extension of Wetlands Conservation Program
Washington, D.C. - The House of Representatives today passed a collection of bipartisan conservation measures, including the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, a bill from Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-CNMI) making it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or any product containing shark fins. The North American Wetlands Conservation Extension Act from Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) reauthorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation Act - which provides matching grants to wetlands conservation pr… Continue Reading