Letters
Lawmakers spar over meaning of words in mitigation memo
by Corbin Hiar
What exactly is an "irreplaceable" natural resource? The answer could have major implications for future developments that affect public lands, waters or wildlife, House Republicans argued during a hearing yesterday. The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations scrutinized a presidential memorandum issued late last year that called on the secretaries of Defense, the Interior and Agriculture and the administrators of U.S. EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric … Continue Reading
02.24.16
Old tensions boil over once more in House hearing on California water
by Michael Doyle
The year's first congressional hearing on California's water crisis incited stern voices and familiar feuds Wednesday, but showed no sign of legislative progress. Instead, for two hours, lawmakers largely remained in trenches dug over many years as they lobbed shells at one another and, at times, the assembled witnesses. "It seems we're so close to a solution today," sarcastically mused Rep. John Fleming, R-Louisiana, the chair of the House water, power and oceans subcommittee. In theory, the… Continue Reading
02.13.16
Oregon Standoff Is Expected to Cost Millions, and Occupiers May Pay Part of the Bill
by Reuters
BURNS, Ore. - The cost of the six-week standoff in rural Oregon will most likely reach into the millions of dollars, with local and state agencies looking to the federal government - and the arrested occupiers - to shoulder the bulk of the bills. The total cost may not be known for weeks or months, but the remote location of the occupation, at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in the eastern part of the state, combined with the complexity of the law enforcement response, suggests an expensiv… Continue Reading
02.06.16
Westlands’ cynical ploy uses farmworkers’ group to curb environmental laws
by Raul Grijalva
California is facing a fifth straight year of drought and struggling badly to meet the water demands of its farms, cities, fish and wildlife. We all know what an important role the state plays in sustaining our national economy. This should be a time for Congress to put the usual special interest arguments aside to pass some needed relief measures. Unfortunately, congressional Republicans and powerful agribusiness interests are using the drought as an excuse to undermine the state's and the nat… Continue Reading
02.02.16
How a huge Arizona mining deal was passed — and could be revoked
by Osha Gray Davidson
No one would accuse John McCain of being a "happy warrior." But even by his standards, the senior senator from Arizona seemed unusually testy when he sat down before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on a chilly February morning in 2012. "If we show a little frustration," he began in a clipped voice, "I think it would may be understandable, because we have been at this issue for some time." For seven years, in fact, McCain had been trying to pass some version of the Southeas… Continue Reading
02.02.16
Valdez: Grand Canyon deserves a buffer
by Linda Valdez
Let's be clear: Creating a buffer around the Grand Canyon is not a federal land grab. This is about adding protection to land around the park that is currently under federal control. It is in Arizona's best interest. The Grand Canyon is our state's signature landmark. But the issue is much bigger that any one state. The Canyon is a natural wonder of national importance. As part of the National Park system, it belongs to every American. That's why President Obama should permanently prevent n… Continue Reading
01.29.16
Does Grand Canyon need monument buffer? Arizona commissioners, environmentalists disagree
by Brandon Loomis
A proposal to give Grand Canyon National Park a protective buffer bigger than the park itself is spurring a struggle over the land and resources beyond the canyon rims. An Arizona congressman has proposed a Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument covering 1.7 million acres of high desert and forest north and south of the national park. Environmentalists hope that President Barack Obama will treat them to such a parting gift before he leaves office next year even if Congress won't appro… Continue Reading
01.12.16
Poll: Despite high-profile protests, most in West, Arizona want federal protection for public land
by Brandon Loomis
For all the Old West drama and agitation for local control of public lands, a poll of registered voters in this region suggests a clear preference for federal protections. Most voters in the Rocky Mountains and Southwest - almost two-thirds in Arizona - oppose transfer of federal lands to the states and even want new land protected as national monuments, according to the sixth annual Colorado College regional poll of attitudes on conservation. Federal land guardians, including former Interior … Continue Reading
01.08.16
Congress Can't Stay Silent on the Oregon Standoff
by Raul Grijalva
I've spent a lot of time this week speaking about the armed militia members refusing to leave Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. I think this is an important moment for our country, and I'd like to explain why I'm trying so hard to get my colleagues to speak up about it. Bear with me for a minute. Since the first farmers settled in the Fertile Crescent thousands of years ago, most humans have lived at the mercy of an armed few willing to use force to get what they want. The story of hu… Continue Reading
01.06.16
Dem offers bill to prevent toxic mine spills
by Devin Henry
A top Democrat is offering a bill to prevent future toxic waste spills at abandoned mines. The legislation, introduced on Wednesday, comes after a high-profile spill at a disused Colorado gold mine in August, when a team of government contractors on a clean-up job released 3 million gallons of waste into the Animas River. In the wake of the incident, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is pushing a bill to require new federal regulations for work at abandoned coal and hardrock mines. The bil… Continue Reading
01.05.16
Dem offers bill condemning armed protesters in Oregon
by Cristina Marcos
The top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee is introducing legislation to condemn the armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) plans to roll out the bill when the House convenes for the year Tuesday afternoon. "This is not a romantic instance of Western self-reliance or an excusable moment of heated rhetoric," Grijalva said in a statement. "This is armed occupation of public property by people who have threatened deadly force. N… Continue Reading
12.31.15
Grijalva Wants to Diversify Environmental Movement
by Emma Dumain
It's not easy being a ranking member on a congressional committee, where any major legislative and policy decision is made primarily at the discretion of the chairman. That struggle is particularly potent for Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee. The Arizona lawmaker, who is also the co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, wants to pass bills that address climate change. He wants to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, whic… Continue Reading
12.04.15
Climate change will continue to hurt America if we do nothing
by Raúl M Grijalva
For too many people around the world, climate change is, without any exaggeration, at their front door. It won't be long before more Americans - in Florida and across the south-east, for instance - will have to live with and confront these risks every day. That's why the Paris climate talks are so important. There are 31 Alaskan villages already facing "imminent threats" from warming ocean waters, erosion and flooding, according to a 2009 Government Accountability Office assessment. At least a … Continue Reading
11.24.15
Our Historic Chance to Protect the Grand Canyon
by Peter Metcalf
I'll never forget the first time I laid eyes on the Grand Canyon. It was late fall of 1974 and I was driving back east to New York after two months of rock climbing and living in Yosemite Valley, California. I had been behind the wheel of my old VW Bug for most of the day, stopping every so often to walk and take in the views. As the sun kissed the western horizon, I arrived at the South Rim and jumped out of my car. The panorama unfolded before me as I approached the edge. I was floored. Look… Continue Reading
11.10.15
After Paul Gosar Tries to Undermine Grand Canyon Monument, Raul Grijalva Fights Back
by Miriam Wasser
In what is increasingly looking like a tit-for-tat game of politics, mere days after Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva formally introduced federal legislation declaring 1.7 million acres around the Grand Canyon a national monument, his colleague, Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar, introduced another piece of legislation intended to undermine it. In a statement, Gosar says his bill, called The Protecting Local Communities from Executive Overreach Act, will "protect property rights, water rights and… Continue Reading
10.15.15
Intra-party conservation fight becomes new legislative roadblock
by Elana Schor
A fight over federalism is dividing Republicans in Congress. GOP lawmakers are split over the future of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a popular, bipartisan, 50-year-old program that diverts a portion of oil and gas royalties to environmental improvements. The fund's authorization expired two weeks ago, and Congress has not yet moved to reauthorize it. The showdown now threatens a number of other priorities. Two Republican senators facing tough reelection fights next year are holding up… Continue Reading
10.14.15
Op-Ed: Grand Canyon Waters, at the Abyss
by Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)
Eldorado Springs, Colo. - I RECENTLY reunited with an old friend - not a person, but a place in Arizona, the state where I was born. It is a timeless place of great antiquity, a shrine of the ages that President Theodore Roosevelt said "man can only mar." Roosevelt proclaimed the Grand Canyon a national monument in 1908. In so doing, he specifically intended to prevent mining and tourist development from harming one of our nation's most treasured landscapes. "Keep it for your children, your chi… Continue Reading
10.13.15
Grijalva bill would protect 1.7M acres around Grand Canyon
by Phil Taylor
House Natural Resources ranking member Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) yesterday said he will introduce a bill to protect 1.7 million acres of federal lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park from future mining and other threats, a measure that is unlikely to pass Congress but aims to provide President Obama a blueprint for protecting the lands under the Antiquities Act. Grijalva unveiled the bill yesterday at a news conference in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he was joined by tribal leaders. The … Continue Reading
10.13.15
Protecting land in northern Arizona: Grijalva pushes creation of monument
FLAGSTAFF - U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva is reviving a push to designate a large swath of northern Arizona as a national monument. Grijalva, a Democrat, said he would introduce legislation next week to create Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument while acknowledging it likely won't get even a hearing in Congress. The goal is to have a template ready that President Barack Obama could consider signing as a proclamation for a new monument, he said. The proposed 1.7 million-acre monument is a… Continue Reading
10.13.15
Grand Canyon Monument Would Make Uranium Ban Permanent
by Laurel Morales
Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva introduced legislation Monday that would preserve and restore sacred lands, the watershed and the environment north and south of Grand Canyon National Park. The Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument Act would set aside 1.7 million acres of public land. The area surrounding the Grand Canyon is rich in uranium. In 2012, the Obama administration put a 20-year moratorium on new uranium mining claims. If passed, the law would make that ban permanent. Ele… Continue Reading