Press Releases
Chair Grijalva Applauds Department of Interior’s Plan to Hold the First Pacific Offshore Wind Lease Sale
WASHINGTON - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) announcement of the first-ever offshore wind lease sale in the Pacific. "Right now, nearly a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuels on our public lands and waters. This latest announcement of offshore wind energy in the Pacific will shift the balance and enable our federal waters to become part of the clima… Continue Reading
10.13.22
New GAO Report Finds Inconsistencies and Data Gaps in Federal Efforts to Prevent Overfishing
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report today examining the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) and Regional Fisheries Management Councils' efforts to prevent overfishing and assess fishing stocks across the agency's six regional fisheries science centers. The report was requested by House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva in November 2019. The report found that fishery stock assessments varied widely across NMFS' … Continue Reading
10.12.22
Chair Grijalva Celebrates Designation of Camp Hale as First New National Monument of Biden Presidency
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on President Joseph R. Biden's designation of Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado. "I applaud President Biden for using his authorities under the Antiquities Act to designate the first new national monument of his presidency. With its rich cultural and natural history, Camp Hale is worthy of the honor. I also want to congratulate my colleague C… Continue Reading
10.12.22
Chair Grijalva, Members of Congress Send Letters Requesting Critical Resources for Disaster Recovery and Resilience in Puerto Rico and Florida Following Hurricanes Fiona and Ian
Washington, D.C. - Over the past week, House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led two letters requesting critical resources to assist recovery and resiliency efforts in Puerto Rico and Florida after Hurricanes Fiona and Ian. The first letter, sent yesterday and cosigned by 37 other members of Congress, urges Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) to provide $5 billion to the U.S. Department o… Continue Reading
10.07.22
Chair Grijalva Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Wild Horses and Burros
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Protection Act of 2022 to ensure the humane management of wild horses and burros and protect them from slaughter. Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), and Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) are original cosponsors of the bill. A fact sheet on the bill is available here. The full … Continue Reading
10.03.22
Chair Grijalva Praises President Biden’s Announcement of Additional Funding and Resources for Puerto Rico Post-Hurricane Fiona
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on President Joe Biden's announcement to deliver $60 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to Puerto Rico to repair levees, strengthen flood walls, and create a new flood warning system. President Biden also announced increased efforts by the Department of Energy and other federal agencies to make Puerto Rico's energy system cleaner and more reliable. "The people of Puerto Rico have not on… Continue Reading
09.27.22
Chair Grijalva Cheers Rejection of Dirty Permitting Rider, Awaits Vote on Clean Continuing Resolution
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the announcement that Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.V.) permitting rider will be removed from the Continuing Resolution. "Taking the dirty permitting rider out of must-pass government funding is the right decision and I'm grateful to my colleagues for making it. But I'm even more grateful to the hundreds of environmental justice communities, organizations, and leaders w… Continue Reading
09.21.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Release of Bill Text for Dirty Permitting Rider
Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the release of text for Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.V.) permitting rider that is proposed to be included in the must-pass Continuing Resolution to fund the government. “To no one’s surprise, this side deal looks just as dirty as it did when it was leaked last month—except without the American Petroleum Institute’s watermark on it this… Continue Reading
09.20.22
House Passes Seven Natural Resources Committee Bills
Washington, D.C. - The House Committee on Natural Resources today announced House passage of seven Natural Resources bills under suspension of the rules: H.R. 820 (LaHood) New Philadelphia National Historical Site Act, as amended, to establish the New Philadelphia National Historical Park in the State of Illinois as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. The bill passed by voice vote. H.R. 4009 (Norton) Enslaved Voyages Memorial Act, as amended, to authorize the Georget… Continue Reading
09.19.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, Postponement of Oversight Hearing
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the catastrophic flooding, ongoing destruction, and island-wide power outage caused by Hurricane Fiona, a Category 1 hurricane that struck Puerto Rico yesterday. The storm hit the island only two days before the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, one of the deadliest hurricanes in history. "There are no words to describe how devastating it is to witness Hurricane… Continue Reading
09.14.22
Committee Staff Release New Hearing Report: The Role of Public Relations Firms in Preventing Action on Climate Change
Washington, D.C. - At today's Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee hearing, Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.), announced a new Committee Staff Hearing Report titled, The Role of Public Relations Firms in Preventing Action on Climate Change. The report presents select findings and 98 pages of evidentiary documents from the Committee's investigation into public relations (PR) firms' work with fossil fuel companies. The full Hearing Report is available here. For decades, the oil and… Continue Reading
09.14.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Natural Resources Committee Assignment for First Alaska Native Representative Mary Peltola
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the announcement that Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) will join the Committee for the remainder of the 117th Congress. "As the first Alaska Native (Yu'pik) woman to serve as a member of Congress, and on the Natural Resources Committee, Representative Peltola is making history," Chair Grijalva said. "She has already proven her leadership as a voice for Alaska, Indigenous co… Continue Reading
09.13.22
Chair Grijalva Applauds Department of Interior’s New Efforts to Advance Tribal Co-Management of Public Lands and Waters
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI's) announcement of new guidance to advance tribal co-management of U.S. public lands and waters. The guidance supports the directives of Joint Secretarial Order on Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters, signed by DOI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture at last year… Continue Reading
09.13.22
Chair Grijalva, Committee Members Introduce Bill to Align Public Lands and Waters with Biden Climate Targets, Announce Hearing Next Week
Washington, D.C. – Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and other members of the Committee today introduced the Public Lands and Waters Climate Leadership Act to direct the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to manage America’s public lands and oceans in accordance with the Biden administration’s ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals. The full text of the bill is available here. A section-by-s… Continue Reading
09.12.22
Additional Members Sign Chair Grijalva Letter to House Leadership Opposing Permitting Rider in Continuing Resolution, Totaling 77
Washington, D.C. - Following requests from members to add their signatures, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent an updated letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) opposing the permitting side deal. The letter is now signed by a total of 77 members of Congress who join hundreds of civil rights, environmental justice, public health, and climate-focused organizations opposed to including the permitti… Continue Reading
09.09.22
Chair Grijalva, 71 Other Members to House Leadership: Keep Permitting Reform Out of a Continuing Resolution
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter with 71 other members of Congress to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) expressing strong opposition to including "comprehensive permitting reform legislation" in this month's Continuing Resolution (CR). The full letter is available here: https://bit.ly/3d3yjGc Last month, the American Petroleum Institute (API) leaked a one-page s… Continue Reading
09.07.22
Chair Grijalva Leads Letter to President Biden, Makes GAO Request on Tribal Co-Management, Announces Hearing on Related Bills
Washington, D.C. – Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter with 42 other members of Congress to President Joe Biden asking him to seek opportunities to expand tribal co-management of U.S. public lands, waters, and resources. Chair Grijalva also sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an examination of existing efforts among land management agencies to implement tribal co-management practices. The Chair … Continue Reading
08.24.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Another Zinke Lie to DOI Office of Inspector General
Washington, D.C. - Following the release of the Department of Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General's (OIG) report that Trump's former Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke and his Chief of Staff made knowingly misleading statements to OIG investigators regarding Zinke's decision about a proposed casino, House Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) released the following statement: "Today's report is another entry into the long litany of former Secretary Zinke's lies and coveru… Continue Reading
08.19.22
Chair Grijalva Demands Action on LUMA Contract, Promises Oversight
Washington, D.C. - Today, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement: "Americans deserve access to reliable power. The people of Puerto Rico should not be faced with prolonged energy blackouts and uncertainty that forces them into potentially dangerous scenarios. The situation with Puerto Rico's unreliable electric system is unacceptable. The government of Puerto Rico must hold LUMA accountable to ensure the residents of Puerto Rico… Continue Reading
08.17.22
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Porter Send Second Request Letter to Fossil Fuel Public Relations Firm FTI Consulting, Threaten Subpoena
Washington, D.C. - Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) today sent a second letter to oil and gas public relations (PR) firm FTI Consulting requesting any of the firm's PR work, marketing, or influence campaigns for oil, gas, and coal companies and trade groups. The lawmakers sent the first request letter to FTI Consulting in June, more than eight weeks ago, along with fo… Continue Reading