Newsletters
At Subcommittee Hearing, Democrats Counter Extremist GOP Attacks on Commonsense Conservation Rule and Antiquities Act
Washington, D.C. - At today's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing, Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) delivered the following opening statement countering Republican's partisan attacks on the Antiquities Act and the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) new rule to better balance conservation with extraction in land management decisions. WATCH Ranking Member Stansbury's full statement. The transcript is available below. During the hearing, Committee Ranking Member Raúl… Continue Reading
05.20.23
Interior Secretary Haaland Upholds Commitment to Visit Proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument, Meets with Tribal Leaders
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. – Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and staff from Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-Ariz.) office joined U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on a visit to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the area that the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition has proposed for designation as the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. Secretary Haaland accepted Ranking Membe… Continue Reading
05.19.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Sen. Heinrich Introduce Mining Reform Legislation to Protect Communities, Tribal Consultation, and Environment
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) today introduced House and Senate versions of the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act to modernize the nation's severely antiquated Mining Law of 1872. The bills will address major environmental justice concerns, protect the environment, and ensure a fair return for the American people. Ranking Member Grijalva's Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act resources: BILL TEXT | SECTI… Continue Reading
05.18.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Sen. Blumenthal Introduce Extinction Prevention Act to Protect Highly Imperiled, Less “Charismatic” Wildlife
Washington, D.C. – In advance of Endangered Species Day, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today introduced House and Senate versions of the Extinction Prevention Act. The legislation provides much-needed funding for some of the country’s most imperiled yet vastly underfunded wildlife species, including threatened and endangered North American butterflies, various Pacific Island plants, freshwater mu… Continue Reading
05.15.23
Opinion | Gutting the National Environmental Policy Act is a Political Vendetta, Not Permitting Reform
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury authored a new opinion piece for The Hill on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Natural Resources Committee is the sole House committee of jurisdiction over NEPA. At the end of March, House Republicans passed H.R. 1, a shameless giveaway of handouts and loopholes to the oil, gas, and mining industries, fittingly dubbed the Pollute… Continue Reading
05.11.23
At Subcommittee Hearing, NEPA Expert Debunks Industry-Driven Rhetoric about Energy Project Delays and Permitting Reform Needs
Washington, D.C. - At today's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing with Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), witness Jamie Pleune, Professor of Law at the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law, provided testimony highlighting her extensive research on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is critical in protecting communities against pollution, particularly those that have been overburdened by irresponsible industry action for too long. CLICK HERE to w… Continue Reading
05.09.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Rep. Peltola, Rep. Gallego Discuss Importance of Indian Child Welfare Act with Expert Panel
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), joined by Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), held a virtual roundtable to discuss the history and significance of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The roundtable represents the first congressional effort to examine ICWA since the onset of recent litigation. CLICK HERE to watch a recording of the roundtable. Prior to passage of ICWA in 1978… Continue Reading
05.05.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Rep. Newhouse Lead Resolution to Designate National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls
Washington, D.C. - Today, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) led their House colleagues in introducing H. Res. 353, a resolution to designate May 5, 2023 as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. CLICK HERE for full text of the resolution. Data reveals that Indigenous communities experience violence at disproportionate rates in this country, which impacts women, girls, elders, and two-spirit relatives. T… Continue Reading
05.01.23
Government Watchdog Raises Alarm on Major Safety Issues at Detention Centers in Indian Country; Grijalva Warns Against Further Budget Cuts
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on a newly released Management Advisory from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlighting immediate health and safety concerns at detention facilities funded and/or operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The three specific facilities include the San Carlos Apache Adult/Juvenile Detention Center, the White Mount… Continue Reading
04.26.23
Ranking Member Grijalva Statement on House Passage of Republicans’ Default on America Act
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on House passage of Republicans' H.R. 2811, also known as the Default on America (DOA) Act, which is a ransom note of cruel cuts that hurt working Americans and tank our economic recovery. No Democrats voted for the bill. Within the agencies under the Committee's jurisdiction-the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Ocea… Continue Reading
04.21.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Sen. Duckworth, Rep. Lee, Sen. Booker Issue Joint Statement Cheering President Biden’s Environmental Justice For All Executive Order
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today issued the following statement on President Biden's newly signed Executive Order, Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All. The Order mirrors several key priorities from the lawmakers' A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice For All Act, the most comprehensive envi… Continue Reading
04.20.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, 14 Members Introduce Resolution Rejecting Insular Cases as Racist and Contrary to the Constitution
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced a congressional resolution, with 14 other members of Congress, rejecting the early 20th century U.S. Supreme Court decisions referred to as the Insular Cases. The resolution argues that these cases rely on a racist, Plessy-era doctrine of “separate and unequal” to establish the relationship between the United States and its territories, made clear by the inclusion of deeply … Continue Reading
04.20.23
Líder de la minoría del Comité, Grijalva, Reps. González-Colón, Velázquez, Soto, Ocasio-Cortez, Hoyer, Torres presentan Ley para el Estatus de Puerto Rico
En una conferencia de prensa hoy, el líder de la minoría del Comité de Recursos Naturales Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) acompañado por los coauspiciadores originales, la representante Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), la comisionada residente Jenniffer González-Colón (R- Puerto Rico), el representante Darren Soto (D-Fla.) y el representante Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), así como el gobernador de Puerto Rico, Pedro R. Pierluisi, para anunciar la re… Continue Reading
04.20.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Reps. González-Colón, Velázquez, Soto, Ocasio-Cortez, Hoyer, Torres Introduce Puerto Rico Status Act
Washington, D.C. - At a press conference today, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was joined by original cosponsors Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico), Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), as well as Governor of Puerto Rico Pedro R. Pierluisi, to announce the re-introduction of the Puerto Rico Status Act. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and R… Continue Reading
04.19.23
Interior Secretary Haaland Commits to Visiting Tribes’ Proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument Area
Washington, D.C. – At today’s House Natural Resources Committee hearing, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland accepted an invitation from Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to visit the area that the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition has proposed for designation as the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. WATCH Secretary Haaland accept Ranking Member Grijalva’s invitation to visit the proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah … Continue Reading
04.19.23
At Budget Hearing, Grijalva Calls Out House GOP for Proposing to Gut Interior, Hurt Americans with Reckless Budget Cuts and Chaos
Washington, D.C. - Today, at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on the President Biden's FY 2024 budget request for the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) delivered the following opening statement blasting Republicans for proposing devasting cuts across the federal agencies, including DOI. WATCH Ranking Member Grijalva's full statement. The transcript is available below. Amidst the chaos and confusion House Republicans are causing … Continue Reading
04.11.23
Grijalva, Sen. Sinema Proud to Join Tribes in Calling on President Biden to Designate Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument
Washington, D.C. - During a virtual press conference held earlier today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) joined members of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition as they launched an effort to call on President Joe Biden to use his authorities under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. Baaj Nwaavjo means “where tribes roam” for the Havasupai Tribe and I’ta… Continue Reading
04.05.23
Grijalva Urges Biden Administration to Save Oak Flat From Foreign Mining Company Backed by Chinese Government, Requests Committee Hearing
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to withhold publication of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on proposed copper mining operations in Arizona's Tonto National Forest. These mining operations threaten to violate religious freedoms by permanently destroying Oak Flat, or Chí'chil Bi?dagoteel, which is sacred to many tribal com… Continue Reading
04.05.23
During National Public Health Week, Grijalva Introduces Bill to Extend Federal Health Benefits to Tribal University and Urban Health Care Employees
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced the introduction of H.R. 2376, which will extend federal employee health benefits (FEHB) to employees of Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). CLICK HERE for full bill text. H.R. 2376 takes an important step to increase health equity and address health disparities for tribal employees. Although employees at UIOs and TCUs are considered p… Continue Reading
03.30.23
Ranking Member Grijalva Applauds Action by Biden Administration to Restore and Protect Our Public Lands
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior's newly proposed Public Lands Rule, which will improve the management of our public lands by building resilience against climate change, conserving important landscapes and habitats, and better protecting wildlife and cultural resources. "With nearly a quarter of our carbon pollution coming from fossil fuel production o… Continue Reading