Press Releases
Chair Grijalva, Committee Members Urge Interior to Reverse Trump-Era Decision Approving Highway through Utah’s Red Cliffs National Conservation Area
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter today with eight other Natural Resources Committee members to U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland urging reversal of the Trump administration's decision to approve the Northern Corridor Highway (NCH) through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (Red Cliffs NCA) in southern Utah. The full letter is available here: https://bit.ly/3M0eQSo Just days before President Biden took office, former DOI Secre… Continue Reading
04.12.22
Chair Grijalva, Delegates Make Bipartisan GAO Request to Identify Data Collection Gaps for the U.S. Territories
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and the delegates of the five U.S Territories-American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands-sent a request last week to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine gaps in federal agency data collection for the territories. The request also asks GAO to determine the impact of those gaps on federal funding for the territories and to ma… Continue Reading
04.08.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Fire at Main Power Plant in Puerto Rico, Island-Wide Outage
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva today issued the following statement about a Wednesday evening fire-caused in part by a circuit breaker failure at the Costa Sur power plant in Puerto Rico-that led to an island-wide power outage. Nearly two full days after the fire, approximately 60 percent of residents are still without electricity and tens of thousands of residences and businesses remain without access to water. "The island's outdated power grid is… Continue Reading
04.08.22
Natural Resources Chair Grijalva and Rep. McEachin Named to America COMPETES Act Conference Committee
Washington, D.C. - In an announcement yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) to the committee that will go to conference with the Senate over the House-passed America COMPETES Act of 2022. The lawmakers will represent the Committee on Natural Resources in conference. "I'm honored to a part of the conference process and will work to make sure this legislation maintains America's position as a leader in research, sci… Continue Reading
03.31.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on President Biden’s Decision to Use Defense Production Act to Boost Mining of Select Minerals
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on President Joseph R. Biden's newly announced decision to issue a determination permitting the use of Defense Production Act (DPA) to boost mining on U.S. public lands. "There's no situation in which I'm going to feel good about giving even more subsidies to the mining industry. Hardrock mining is governed by a severely outdated 150-year-old law that lets mining companies get… Continue Reading
03.29.22
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Lowenthal Urge Biden Administration Not to Use the Defense Production Act to Increase Mining
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif), Chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, today sent a letter to President Joseph R. Biden following reports that the administration plans to issue an executive order using authorities under the Defense Production Act to increase mining on U.S. public lands. The lawmakers issued the following statements on sending the letter: "As it turns out, the oil and g… Continue Reading
03.29.22
Chair Grijalva Blasts Fossil Fuel CEOs For Refusing to Testify at April 5 Natural Resources Committee Hearing
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement after the chief executive officers of three oil companies-EOG Resources, Devon Energy Corporation, and Occidental Petroleum-refused to testify at a Natural Resources Committee hearing scheduled for Tuesday, April 5 at 1:00 pm Eastern time. The hearing would have examined the fossil fuel industry's failure to help stabilize gas prices during the ongoing crisis in Ukraine despite their record profits. I… Continue Reading
03.28.22
At Press Conference, Chair Grijalva Announces New Committee Markup Date for the RESPECT Act
UPDATE: The letter from conservation and environmental organizations referenced below originally had 15 signees. The number has been updated to 19. Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced a new markup date and time-Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time-for the RESPECT Act (H.R. 3587) at an in-person press conference in the Longworth House Office Building. A recording of the press conference livestream is available h… Continue Reading
03.23.22
New Medium Post Highlights Chairs Grijalva and Maloney’s Visit to New York City to Hear from Environmental Justice Communities on Advancing Key Federal Policies
Washington, D.C. - On Friday, March 11, 2022, and Saturday, March 12, 2022, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) of the Committee on Natural Resources and Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, visited multiple neighborhoods in the New York City metro area to hear from local community leaders and environmental justice advocates about their personal experiences with and fights against environmental racism and other injustices. A new Medium post detail… Continue Reading
03.22.22
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Porter Statement on the Announcement of Ambassador Joe Yun as New Presidential Envoy
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) today released the following joint statement regarding the announcement of Ambassador Joe Yun as the new Special Presidential Envoy for negotiations with the Freely Associated States-the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau-to extend the Compacts of Free Association: "Ambassador Yun is an accomplished di… Continue Reading
03.19.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on the Passing of Natural Resources Committee Chair Emeritus Don Young
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the passing of Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), a 49-year member of Congress, Dean of the House, and Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources from 1995 to 2001: "Representative Young was a pillar of Alaska, leaving behind a legacy as immense as his state. He has been a leader and institution on the Committee and I'm grateful for the path he charted as Chair for six years. I am deeply saddened b… Continue Reading
03.18.22
Chair Grijalva Invites Fossil Fuel Executives to Testify on Increased Gas Prices Amid Industry’s Record Profits, Unused Drilling Permits
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent invitations to the chief executive officers of three fossil fuel companies-EOG Resources, Devon Energy Corporation, and Occidental Petroleum-to testify at a Committee on Natural Resources hearing to be held Tuesday, April 5 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. The hearing will examine the fossil fuel industry's failure to help stabilize American gasoline prices, which have skyrocketed in the weeks following Vladimir Putin's brutal and d… Continue Reading
03.17.22
Chair Grijalva Applauds Interior Department Guidance on Orphaned Wells, Announces Hearing on Legacy Pollution Clean-Up Programs
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the release of draft guidance from the U.S. Department of the Interior outlining how states should apply for grant funds to plug and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells. The initial $775 million in grant funding is part of the $4.7 billion that was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) for addressing orphaned wells. The draft guidance also lays out best practices for using the funds, i… Continue Reading
03.15.22
Natural Resources Committee to Hold Historic Full Committee Markup on Chair Grijalva’s RESPECT Act Tomorrow
THIS MARKUP HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Washington, D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a full committee markup on the RESPECT Act (H.R. 3587) tomorrow, March 16 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. The livestream of the hearing can be viewed at https://youtu.be/qVfyY28y-Fo. The RESPECT Act will codify into law that federal agencies must consult with tribal governments before taking federal actions that may impact tribal lands, rights, resources, or citizens. Tomorrow's m… Continue Reading
03.09.22
Chair Grijalva and Ranking Member Westerman Introduce Bill to Address Human Rights Abuses in International Conservation
Washington, D.C. - House Committee on Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) today introduced the Advancing Human Rights-Centered International Conservation Act of 2022 to strengthen human rights standards for the U.S. Department of the Interior's international conservation grants. The bill addresses findings of a multi-year bipartisan Committee investigation into alleged human rights abuses at the hands of park rangers and "eco-guar… Continue Reading
03.08.22
Chair Grijalva Blasts Fish and Wildlife Service Finding that Pesticide Malathion Does Not Jeopardize Endangered Species
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today expressed disappointment in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) newly released final biological opinion, which determined that malathion-a dangerous and likely carcinogenic pesticide linked to developmental disorders in children-does not jeopardize a single endangered species. The new findings starkly contradict the draft biological opinion on malathion released in April 2021, which concluded that ongoing use of the pest… Continue Reading
03.08.22
Chair Grijalva Applauds Biden Administration for Banning Russian Oil & Gas
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued a statement applauding President Biden's action to ban imports of Russian oil and gas. "I applaud President Biden's action to ban Russian oil and gas in the United States, and the increased measures to further sanction Putin and his oligarchic henchman. We cannot continue to leave the American people susceptible to an unsustainable energy source dictated by foreign conflicts and held to the whim of oil and gas corporate gia… Continue Reading
03.04.22
ICYMI: Chair Grijalva Blasts Fossil Fuel Industry for Shameless Propaganda Following Putin’s Violent Attack on Ukraine
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today published an opinion piece in The Guardian sharply criticizing the fossil fuel industry for its blatant opportunism following Vladimir Putin's catastrophic, deadly invasion of Ukraine. Mere days after the attack, industry rhetoric advocating for more oil and gas leasing and drilling on U.S. public lands and waters soon inundated social media and opinion pieces under the false pretenses of asserting "energy independence." "Our top … Continue Reading
03.03.22
Natural Resources Committee to Hold First Congressional Hearing Examining Tribal Co-Management of Public Lands
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will convene the full Natural Resources Committee for an oversight hearing titled, "Examining the History of Federal Lands and the Development of Tribal Co-Management" on March 8 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. The livestream of the hearing can be viewed here. The hearing will be the first in congressional history to examine tribal land dispossession enacted by the U.S. government and the impact of dispossession on federal land management p… Continue Reading
03.01.22
Chair Grijalva Praises Biden Administration for Accepting Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale Court Decision
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of Justice's announcement that it will not appeal the Jan. 27 federal court decision to strike down Lease Sale 257, the U.S. Department of the Interior's 80-million-acre lease sale held in the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 17. In the January ruling, the U.S. District Court judge eviscerated the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's environmental assessment for the sale, criticizing it fo… Continue Reading