Press Releases
Chair Grijalva Introduces Historic Puerto Rico Status Act | Presidente de Comité Grijalva presenta Histórica Ley del Estatus de Puerto Rico
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced the introduction of H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act, with original co-sponsors Small Business Committee Chair Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico), Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), and Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.). The bill is a historic proposal that lays out a process for the people of Puerto Rico to make an… Continue Reading
07.15.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Sen. Manchin Decision to Halt Climate Plan Negotiations
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on Senator Joe Manchin's (D-W.V.) decision to halt negotiations on energy and climate-related investments in Democrats' reconciliation package: "Like most Americans right now, I am sickened that the changing whims of one man could put the very near future of our country, our planet, and our health and safety on the brink. I think it's shortsighted at best, reckless endang… Continue Reading
07.13.22
Chair Grijalva, Reps. Velázquez, González-Colón, Soto Release Statement on Puerto Rico Status Act
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Small Business Committee Chair Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y), Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico), and Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) today released the following joint statement on the Puerto Rico Status Act: "Puerto Rico's territory status has stifled the island's development and potential for prosperity for far too long. The people of Puerto Rico deserve a resolu… Continue Reading
07.01.22
Chair Grijalva to Visit Southern California Next Week, Seek Community Input on Environmental Justice For All Act
Washington, D.C. - Next week, Friday, July 8 to Sunday, July 10, 2022, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will be joined by Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), other members to-be-announced, and local environmental justice leaders to visit several communities in southern California-Wilmington, Commerce, Highland, and Bloomington-that have been impacted by environmental injustices. The visit to California is part of Chair… Continue Reading
07.01.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Interior Department’s Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) took the next step in finalizing a new five-year National Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program by proposing no more than 11 lease sales between 2023 and 2028 in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska. "Holding any new offshore oil and gas lease sales over th… Continue Reading
06.30.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on SCOTUS Decision in Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on yesterday's U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma. The Court ruled 5-to-4, with Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Neil Gorsuch dissenting. "The majority decision in Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma is outright colonialism. It brazenly overwrites foundational Federal Indian law that has consistently reinforced tribal governments' in… Continue Reading
06.30.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on SCOTUS Decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. "In the span of just a week, all of Republicans' dreams for their extremist political hijack of the Supreme Court have come true. They've killed abortion rights. They've killed gun control. They've killed separation of church and state. They've killed fair voting districts. They've… Continue Reading
06.23.22
ESA Caucus Co-Chairs Grijalva, Dingell, and Beyer Applaud Repeal of Harmful Trump-Era Rule to Weaken the Endangered Species Act
Washington D.C. - Today, the Co-Chairs of the Endangered Species Act Caucus-Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)-issued the following joint statement on the Biden administration's announcement to rescind a rule issued by the Trump administration that weakened the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Trump-era rule, finalized in December 2020, narrowed the definition of "habitat" under ESA, excluding ecosystems… Continue Reading
06.23.22
Chair Grijalva to Receive The Wilderness Society’s Prestigious Ansel Adams Award
Washington D.C. - At a reception this evening, The Wilderness Society will present its highest honor, the Ansel Adams Award, to Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.). The award is presented to a current or former federal official who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to conservation and public lands, especially in the current context of the accelerating climate crisis. Past recipients of the Ansel Adams Award include Jimmy Carter (1981), Stewart Udall (1986… Continue Reading
06.21.22
Chair Grijalva Celebrates Historic Tribal Co-Management Agreement for Bears Ears National Monument
Washington D.C. - At a ceremony today, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the five tribes that make up the Bears Ears Commission-the Hopi Tribe, the Navajo Nation, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and the Pueblo of Zuni-signed an inter-governmental cooperative agreement to formalize their partnership to manage the 1.36 million acres of the Bears Ears National Monument. The five tribes have inhabited the region since ti… Continue Reading
06.21.22
Chair Grijalva Cheers New Biden Administration Actions to Support Federal Wildland Firefighters
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the Biden administration's announcement of several new actions to support wildland firefighters, including taking additional steps to increase firefighter pay, creating new mental health and wellness services, and streamlining the federal hiring process for firefighters. These new initiatives-supported in part by $600 million in dedicated funding from the Bipartisan Infra… Continue Reading
06.21.22
Chair Grijalva Cheers the Appointment of Chief Lynn Malerba as U.S. Treasurer
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on President Biden's appointment of Chief Lynn Malerba of the Mohegan Tribe as Treasurer of the United States. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen made the announcement during a visit with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. Secretary Yellen's visit, which is focused on the Tribe's economic recovery since the pandemic and use of American Rescue Plan funds, marks the … Continue Reading
06.16.22
Chair Grijalva, Sen. Heinrich Introduce Two Bills to Elevate the Role of Tribal Nations, Protect Tribal Cultural Sites in Public Land Management
Washington D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) today announced the introduction of two House and Senate companion bills to advance Tribal management of public lands and to improve protection of sacred and cultural sites: The Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Land Act and the Tribal Cultural Areas Protection Act. The full text of the Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Land Act is available here and the section-by-section is available here. A f… Continue Reading
06.14.22
Chair Grijalva Celebrates Bipartisan House Passage of Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2773, the Recovering America's Wildlife Act (RAWA), by a bipartisan vote of 231-190. This legislation, introduced by Natural Resources Committee member Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), will provide nearly $1.4 billion per year to states, territories, and Tribes to conserve, restore, and protect wildlife species of greatest conservation need and their habitats. The funding includes a $97.5 million annual noncompetitive Tribal W… Continue Reading
06.13.22
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Porter Request Oil and Gas Public Relations Campaign Materials
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) sent letters to five public relations (PR) firms-FTI Consulting, Story Partners, DDC Advocacy, Blue Advertising, and Singer Associates-that conduct PR campaigns on behalf of fossil fuel industry clients. The lawmakers also sent a letter to the American Petroleum Institute, a major oil and gas industry trade group that plays a major, ac… Continue Reading
06.09.22
ICYMI: What Environmental Justice Looks Like (And Why It Matters)
New Opinion Piece in Newsweek by Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Vermont State Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale What Environmental Justice Looks Like (And Why It Matters) - June 9, 2022 The Biden administration's recent announcement of a Justice Department effort to hold industrial polluters accountable for damage done to communities of color, Indigenous and low-income communities is an important step forward. For too long, these communities have suffered disp… Continue Reading
06.08.22
Chair Grijalva Cheers Interior Department Ban on Single-Use Plastics, Other Biden Administration World Ocean Day Announcements
Washington, D.C. - Today, on World Ocean Day, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the announcement from U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland to phase out single-use plastics on all DOI-managed public lands and waters, including National Park Service (NPS) units, by 2032. DOI's phase-out plan will apply to all single-use plastics, including plastic bottles, bags, straws, and disposable utensils. "Single-use plastic pollution is a ser… Continue Reading
05.31.22
Chair Grijalva to Hold Public Input Forum on Puerto Rico Status Act Discussion Draft
WASHINGTON - House Committee on Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will hold a public input forum on the Puerto Rico Status Act discussion draft to seek input from members of the public on Saturday, June 4 from 3 to 8:30 PM Eastern at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan. The Discussion Draft was recently announced at a May 19 press conference with House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and Governor of Puerto Rico Pedro R. Pierluisi. Members of the public w… Continue Reading
05.31.22
Chair Grijalva Applauds HHS on Establishment of Office of Environmental Justice
WASHINGTON - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) applauded the recent announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of plans to establish an Office of Environmental Justice and issued the following statement: "Public health is at the center of the environmental and climate justice movements because they are inextricably linked. I applaud the launch of the Office of Environmental Justice at HHS and the Biden administration's continued al… Continue Reading
05.26.22
Chair Grijalva, Reps. Velázquez, González-Colón, and Other Members to Visit Puerto Rico, Seek Public Input on Historic Puerto Rico Status Act
Washington, D.C. - Next week, from Thursday, June 2, 2022 through Saturday, June 4, 2022, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and a bipartisan group of Members of Congress, including Rep. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico), will visit Puerto Rico to seek input from members of the public and local elected officials on the Puerto Rico Status Act Discussion Draft. The Discussion Draft … Continue Reading