Press Releases
Chair Grijalva, After Years of Highlighting Need for Tribal Consultation, Cheers Withdrawal of Key Federal Analysis for Exploitative Oak Flat Mining Project
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who has for many years highlighted the need for federal tribal consultation before moving forward with the Resolution Copper mining project in central Arizona, today hailed the news that the U.S. Forest Service is withdrawing its final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision issued on Jan. 15 and will conduct a thorough review before proceeding any further with the preparation of new analyses at the site. Grijal… Continue Reading
02.26.21
Grijalva Cheers House Passage of Amendment to PROMESA, Calls for Additional Reforms to Improve Quality of Life for Puerto Ricans
Washington D.C. - This week the House of Representatives passed the Puerto Rico Recovery Accuracy in Disclosures Act of 2021 (PRRADA), an amendment to the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). The legislation - introduced by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and passed by the House during the 116th Congress - mandates financial disclosures by professionals working on PROMESA debt rest… Continue Reading
02.26.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Passage of Public Lands Bills, Looks Forward to Senate Action on Grand Canyon Protection Measure, Other Major Conservation Goals
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed passage of the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act, a package of Natural Resources Committee bills that includes Grijalva's Grand Canyon Protection Act; Rep. Joe Neguse's (D-Colo.) Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act; and a collection of bills introduced in the last Congress as a package by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) under the heading Protecting America's Wilderness Act. The Protecting America's W… Continue Reading
02.25.21
Following Years-Long Oversight, Chair Grijalva Welcomes Announcement That U.S. Park Police Chief Will Require Body-Worn Cameras for Officers
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed the announcement that incoming U.S. Park Police Chief Pamela Smith will require officers to wear body cameras as a means of enhancing accountability and increasing public trust in the agency. The issue was the centerpiece of a Sept. 29, 2020, hearing in the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations titled Police Cameras at the Department of the Interior: Inconsistencies, Failures, and Consequences. Smith replaces acting … Continue Reading
02.22.21
Chair Grijalva Leads Letter to Acting Sec. of Agriculture Urging Withdrawal of Flawed Analysis of Oak Flat Mining Project Rushed Out by Trump Admin
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a previously unannounced letter on Friday to acting Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Shea, signed by 21 House Democratic colleagues, urging the withdrawal of the U.S. Forest Service final environmental impact statement (FEIS) assessing the likely impacts of the proposed Resolution Copper mining project in central Arizona. The Trump administration rushed the document to publication on Jan. 15, just days before President Biden took offi… Continue Reading
02.17.21
Chair Grijalva Announces Vice Chairs, Subcommittee Chairs for 117th Congress, Looks Forward to Climate and Environmental Justice Collaboration
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced the vice chairs and subcommittee chairs for the 117th Congress. The positions were chosen by the Democratic members of the Committee during their recently concluded organizing meeting. The full Committee organizing meeting will be livestreamed tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. Vice Chair: Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.) Vice Chair for Insular Affairs: Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-CNMI) Subcommittee on En… Continue Reading
02.16.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Public Lands Package for Floor Consideration Next Week – Includes His “Grand Canyon Protection Act,” Wilderness Measures
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced that the House Rules Committee will consider a package of Natural Resources Committee bills early next week ahead of a full House vote on Wednesday, Feb. 23. The package includes Grijalva's Grand Canyon Protection Act, which was introduced as a standalone bill on Monday; Rep. Joe Neguse's (D-Colo.) Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act; and a collection of bills introduced in the last Congress as a package by Rep. D… Continue Reading
02.12.21
Natural Resources Committee Releases Report Reviewing Accomplishments in 116th Congress, Announces Feb. 18 Organizing Meeting for 117th Congress
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced the Natural Resources Committee will hold its organizing meeting for the 117th Congress at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Feb. 18. The event, which will be livestreamed at http://bit.ly/2ZbBmRZ (Facebook) and https://bit.ly/3tWlqRJ (YouTube), will include a vote on the full Committee rules package for the upcoming Congress. The meeting comes as President Biden begins to implement a series of executive orders streng… Continue Reading
02.12.21
Chair Grijalva: Trump’s Impeachment Defense Lawyers Just Lied About Events at Lafayette Square – Comparison to Jan. 6 Attack is Offensive and Inaccurate
Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on Trump impeachment lawyers’ false claims just now that the violent law enforcement crackdown against unarmed civilians at Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020, was a response to violence among the protesters. “What we saw on Jan. 6 was a well-armed violent insurrection against our form of government. As Mr. Trump’s lawyers well know, the premeditated violence and murder that took plac… Continue Reading
02.05.21
Dingell, Markey, Grijalva Reintroduce THRIVE Resolution to Build Back Economy Following Coronavirus Pandemic
As the Biden administration begins to take immediate action to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic depression, Representative Debbie Dingell (MI-12) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today reintroduced the Transform, Heal, and Renew by Investing in a Vibrant Economy (THRIVE) Agenda. The resolution outlines a framework for a bold economic renewal plan that addresses the four current ongoing and intersecting crises: the public health disaster, racial injustice, the cl… Continue Reading
02.04.21
Chair Grijalva: Trump-Era Rewrite of Migratory Bird Treaty Act Rule “Wasn’t Worth the Paper it’s Printed On,” Biden Right to Pause and Seek Public Input
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised the Biden administration pause for a 30-day public comment period before finalizing any rewrite of a regulation implementing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The Trump administration published a final rule last month attempting to limit the scope of the law and eliminating penalties for the incidental - rather than intentional - injury or death of migratory birds. The rule, which would have had an effective date of Feb. 8, i… Continue Reading
02.03.21
Chair Grijalva: Biden Admin is Right to Release $1.3 Billion for Housing Relief in Puerto Rico – Hearing on Access to Federal Aid Coming This Spring
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised the Biden administration's swift release of $1.3 billion in Community Development Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help Puerto Rico rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Hurricane Maria and the removal of restrictions on another $4.9 billion established by the Trump administration. Grijalva said the Natural Resources Committee plans to hold a hearing this spring on the impacts of terri… Continue Reading
01.29.21
Chair Grijalva Announces Naomi Miguel as Staff Director of Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, Ariana Romeo as Professional Staffer
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced the promotion of Naomi Miguel to staff director of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States (SCIP) and Ariana Romeo to professional staffer at the Subcommittee. Miguel had been a professional staffer and Romeo had been a policy aide. Grijalva noted Miguel's central role in directing SCIP's policy work over the past two years, including her leadership in organizing oversight hearings on climate change … Continue Reading
01.27.21
Chair Grijalva Statement on Today's Environmental Executive Orders: “The Right Way to Start Our Overdue Transition to a More Sustainable Economy”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on President Joe Biden's new environmental executive orders. "The last four years have been a feeding frenzy on our public lands and waters, and this moratorium is the right way to start our overdue transition to a more sustainable economy. We need to think about the big picture from now on instead of taking industry demands at face value, which is why the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solutio… Continue Reading
01.26.21
Chair Grijalva Joins President Biden In Reaffirming Commitment to Tribal Sovereignty and Consultation, Calls for Further Action
Washington D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement supporting President Joe Biden's executive order signaling a renewed federal respect for tribal sovereignty, strengthening the government-to-government relationship between the federal government and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, furthering self-determination, and advancing racial justice for tribal communities. "The Trump administration's blatant disregard o… Continue Reading
01.20.21
Chair Grijalva Cheers President Biden’s First Environmental Actions
Washington D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva released the following statement following President Joe Biden's Executive Orders to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, reverse the previous President's anti-environmental policies, and new racial equity efforts. "President Biden's executive orders today show just how much damage Republicans in Washington did to the planet during the Trump administration and how much work lies ahead to advance conservation and en… Continue Reading
12.30.20
Chair Grijalva Requests Body-Worn Camera Footage of National Park Service Agent Tasering U.S. Marine Veteran at Petroglyph National Monument
Washington, D.C. - In a new letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, available at http://bit.ly/2WTA50Q, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) requests footage from body-worn cameras used by National Park Service (NPS) officers involved in the Dec. 27 Tasering of Darrell House, a Marine Corps veteran and enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and Oneida Nation, at Petroglyph National Monument. Grijalva requests four pieces of information on the recent incident: All footage recorded by a… Continue Reading
12.21.20
Chair Grijalva Helps Secure Landmark Tribal Water Wins, Saguaro National Park Expansion, Renewable Energy, Insular Resources in End-of-Year Federal Funding Law
Washington D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today highlighted the inclusion of his Saguaro National Park Boundary Expansion Act, along with landmark tribal water priorities, renewable energy wins, and Insular provisions as part of the Fiscal Year 2021, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (H.R. 133) set to become law this week. H.R. 133 advances multiple tribal water rights settlements, including the largest water rights settlement in history be… Continue Reading
12.16.20
In New Letter, Chair Grijalva Urges President-Elect Biden to Prioritize Health of Public Lands Employees and Visitors as Pandemic Continues to Rage
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote to President-elect Joe Biden this morning urging him to extend his mask-wearing mandate, initially announced as applying to all federal buildings, to federally managed public lands sites as well. In the letter, available at http://bit.ly/3qYaqC9, Grijalva notes that the Trump administration's Interior Department has faced heavy criticism for inconsistent regulations, arbitrary opening and closing protocols, and failures to provide … Continue Reading
12.14.20
Chair Grijalva on Continuation of Select Committee on the Climate Crisis in 117th Congress: The Whole Country Will Benefit From Seeing Their Work Continue
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the recent announcement that the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will continue its work in the 117th Congress under Chairwoman Kathy Castor (D-Fla.). Chair Grijalva recently published an op-ed in Politico Magazine titled "Biden Needs to Go Big on the Climate." "The Select Committee pushed national climate policy in the right direction throughout this Congress, and the whole country will b… Continue Reading