Press Releases
Chair Grijalva Hails Passage of Bills Supporting Indian Country, Celebrates Native American Heritage Month
Washington, D.C. - Chair Grijalva issued the following statement on the expected House passage of eight bills on the first day of Native American Heritage Month. "Native American Heritage Month is not just a celebration of the tradition, culture, history and national contributions of Native Americans. It's a time to appreciate the urgency of the issues facing Indian Country. Congress needs to take substantive action to protect sacred sites and tribal lands, address inadequate federal funding fo… Continue Reading
10.28.21
Chair Grijalva: Reconciliation Agreement Includes Multiple Key Measures - “Just the Start of a Longer Effort”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) expressed his support for the revised reconciliation agreement released today, highlighting several key measures-including an end to new offshore fossil fuel drilling in most federal waters, funding for coastal restoration and resiliency, and enhanced funding for climate adaptation and wildfire management on public lands-that he and Democrats on the Committee successfully pushed throughout the negotiating process. The Committee on Sept. … Continue Reading
10.08.21
Chair Grijalva, 10 Other Members Send Letter to President Biden, DOJ Requesting Clemency for Indigenous Activist Leonard Peltier
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter with 10 other House lawmakers to President Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting the expedited release of and clemency for renowned American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier. The letter is available at https://bit.ly/3DsQ5KD. Mr. Peltier, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, was arrested in connection with the murders of two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in… Continue Reading
10.07.21
Chair Grijalva Praises Biden Admin Move to Restore Original Boundaries, Protections for Bears Ears, Other National Monuments Trump Had Targeted
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised the Biden administration's decision to restore Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments. The move comes on the eve of Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, Oct. 11. President Biden's action reverses the Trump administration's illegal reduction of the national monuments, which remain the subject of ongoing litigation. Grijalva previously led an amicus brief with then-Senator U… Continue Reading
10.06.21
Chair Grijalva Praises Biden Administration for Restoration of NEPA Community Protections after Trump-Era Deregulation
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the Biden administration's "Phase 1" proposal to restore longstanding community protections under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). "The Biden administration's proposal to restore community protections under NEPA that the Trump administration rolled back is a welcome first step in placing public health needs and the lives of Americans ahead of the profits of corporate polluters. Today's mo… Continue Reading
10.05.21
Chair Grijalva Announces Bill Markup, Hearing on Federal Offshore Oil and Gas Infrastructure Following Environmental Disaster in Southern California
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced that the House Natural Resources Committee will mark up a pair of bills to strengthen regulation and oversight of offshore oil drilling on Wednesday, Oct. 13, and hold an oversight hearing on Thursday, Oct. 14, on abandoned offshore fossil fuel infrastructure. The moves follow a major pipeline spill that has released more than 126,000 gallons of crude oil near Huntington Beach, Calif., causing what is already believed to … Continue Reading
09.29.21
Chair Grijalva Praises Department of the Interior for Restoring Protections for Migratory Birds After Trump-Era Weakening Efforts
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised the Biden administration for its next steps to rewrite a Trump-era rule under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) to protect birds and provide certainty to businesses. The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced that it would revoke a Trump rule that allows the incidental take of birds without consequence. The Department also announced it would start establishing a fairer system for enforcing incidental take provisions… Continue Reading
09.27.21
Chair Grijalva Highlights GAO Report He Requested Finding Room for Improvement in NOAA’s Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Prevention Efforts
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today highlighted new findings by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) emphasizing the need for stronger sexual assault and harassment prevention efforts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The findings come in a report titled Sexual Assault and Harassment: NOAA Has Made Substantial Progress in Prevention and Response but Could Further Improve Its Processes that Chair Grijalva requested with Sen. John Thu… Continue Reading
09.22.21
Chair Grijalva, Reps. Huffman and DeGette Lead 60 Members in Urging President Biden Support Repeal of Arctic Refuge Drilling Program in Build Back Better Act
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) sent a letter today signed by 60 House Democrats to President Biden urging him to support the repeal of the oil and gas leasing program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a buyback of the leases issued in January 2021. The provision was recently passed through the House Natural Resources Committee in its portion of the larger Build Back Better Act. In December of 20… Continue Reading
09.20.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Sec. Haaland Decision to Move Bureau of Land Management Headquarters Back to Washington in Response to Concerns From Staff, Federal Auditors
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the Department of the Interior's decision to move the Bureau of Land Management's headquarters back to Washington, D.C. "Bringing the Bureau of Land Management's leadership back to Washington shows the Biden's administration's commitment to protecting our public lands and the men and women responsible for them. Taking the headquarters out of the nation's capital was a debacle from the moment it wa… Continue Reading
09.15.21
Chair Grijalva, Sen. Markey and Reps. McCollum, McEachin, Leger Fernández, and Lowenthal Urge Sec. of Energy to Reconsider Domestic Uranium Reserve
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter with Reps. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) today to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm expressing concerns about the potential for a new domestic uranium reserve to harm tribal communities still suffering from previous domestic uranium mining efforts. The letter, available online at htt… Continue Reading
09.13.21
Chair Grijalva Introduces the Urban Indian Health Confer Act to Create Parity for American Indians and Alaska Natives Living in Urban Areas
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) on Friday introduced the bipartisan Urban Indian Health Confer Act to require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to confer with urban Indian organizations (UIOs) on health care policies and initiatives for American Indians and Alaska Natives living in urban areas. Currently, only the Indian Health Service (IHS) is required to confer with UIOs despite the fact that the vast majority of… Continue Reading
09.09.21
Committee Approves $25.6 Billion Reconciliation Measure to Fund Climate Corps, Coastal Protection, Wildfire Management, Tribal & Territorial Needs
Washington, D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee, led by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), today approved its piece of the 10-year budget reconciliation package now before the House of Representatives. The markup, which began on Sept. 2, saw a second full day of debate and concluded in a 24-13 vote to approve the measure. All relevant documents are publicly available online through the Committee Repository. Among other measures, the Committee approved historic investments in prot… Continue Reading
09.08.21
Ahead of Key Federal Court Rulings, Chair Grijalva Leads Letter Urging DOJ to Reject Racist “Insular Cases,” Territorial Incorporation Doctrine
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and six other members of Congress wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Acting Solicitor General Brian H. Fletcher today urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to expressly condemn the racist legal precedent embodied in the Insular Cases and the territorial incorporation doctrine. The letter, available online at https://bit.ly/3jWJ6Tj, comes as DOJ prepares to argue two key federal cases that will define the legal rights of resid… Continue Reading
08.16.21
Chair Grijalva Disappointed That Interior Will Hold New Fossil Fuel Lease Sales, Announces He Will Pursue Industry Reforms in Reconciliation
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today said he's disappointed that the Department of the Interior (DOI) is holding a newly announced round of onshore and offshore oil and gas lease sales, especially as the country awaits a Biden administration interim report on how it will fix a broken federal public lands and waters leasing system. Grijalva said that while he eagerly awaits the administration's interim report on leasing reforms, he will push to use the forthcoming bud… Continue Reading
08.09.21
Chair Grijalva: Low Funding for Interior in Senate Budget Resolution Makes Certain Climate Goals Unreachable – Gathering Support to Increase the Topline
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on today's newly released Senate budget resolution. Grijalva noted that this morning's report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change illustrates the stark need to fund conservation, habitat protection and impact mitigation programs at a level that meets the increasing climate-related destruction the country is already facing. "Climate change is accelerating and creating more conservation need… Continue Reading
07.20.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Reestablishment of Interagency Working Group on Puerto Rico -- Calls for Mandate to Consult on Financial Recovery, Political Status
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the news that the White House has reactivated the federal Interagency Working Group on Puerto Rico. "The Biden administration has committed to resolving the serious issues affecting the territory and its residents, and I sincerely commend them for this decision," Grijalva said. "I look forward to supporting the Task Force's work, and I encourage the Biden administration to … Continue Reading
07.12.21
Chair Grijalva Urges Secs. of Interior and Agriculture, Agency Chiefs to Protect Texas Public Lands From Governor’s Attempted Border Wall Construction
Washington, D.C. - In a letter sent this morning, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) urges senior federal land management officials to protect federal public lands in Texas from the impacts of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's proposed construction of new sections of wall, using state taxpayer money and private donations, along the U.S.-Mexico border. In his letter, Grijalva draws attention to the two national parks and dozens of other federally protected sites in Texas within 100 miles of the borde… Continue Reading
07.08.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Federal Reversal of Unjustified Permit for Vigneto Development in Southern Arizona – Project Has Ties to Trump Interior Sec. Bernhardt
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed the Army Corps of Engineers suspension of a permit for the controversial Villages at Vigneto property development proposal in Southern Arizona, where former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt was reportedly involved in pressuring federal officials to advance the project despite environmental concerns. Grijalva asked the Trump administration for documents to clarify the issue in July 2019 after a whistleblower came forward al… Continue Reading
06.30.21
Chair Grijalva, Reps. Neguse and Porter Hail Biden Admin Guarantee of $15 an Hour for Wildland Firefighters – Move Follows April 29 Hearing
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Reps. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, and Katie Porter (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, hailed the announcement today that President Biden will guarantee wildland firefighters are paid at least $15 per hour this year. Biden announced that his administration will also provide other incentives, including retention bonus of up to 10 perce… Continue Reading