Press Releases
Grijalva Reacts to Manchin-Barrasso Pro-Polluter Permitting Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the Energy Permitting Reform Act, introduced by Senators Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) this week. “I’ve said it enough times, but it clearly bears repeating that checking off wish lists for oil, gas, and mining companies is not permitting reform,” said Ranking Member Grijalva. “From opening major expanses of our public lands and waters for dril… Continue Reading
07.17.24
Grijalva Celebrates Installation of First Rooftop Solar Panels from Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund
WASHINGTON - U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement during U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s trip to Puerto Rico in which she announced installation of the first rooftop solar and battery systems funded by the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF). The PR-ERF was established through funding secured by Ranking Member Grijalva with strong support of Reps. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and… Continue Reading
07.10.24
New Government Watchdog Report Finds Major Gaps in Efforts to Monitor and Reduce Bycatch Across U.S. Fisheries
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report entitled, Federal Fisheries Management: Efforts to Reduce and Monitor Unintentional Catch and Harm Need Better Tracking, which found that federal efforts to monitor and reduce the unintentional catch or other harm to marine species, also called bycatch, in U.S. fisheries are lacking. The report was requested by U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.). On release of … Continue Reading
07.09.24
In New GAO Request, Grijalva Highlights Need for Climate Action to Include Cultural Resource Protection
WASHINGTON - U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an examination of the National Park Service’s (NPS) actions to protect cultural resources as the agency implements climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. NPS is the lead federal agency charged with preserving the country’s diverse cultural heritage. In his letter, Ranking Member Grijalva points out how climate … Continue Reading
07.09.24
Grijalva, Huffman Commend Biden Administration Action to Hold Seafood Industry Accountable for Forced Labor
WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) today issued the following joint statement on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s new action to add seafood to the list of high priority sectors for enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. “Thanks to groundbreaking reporting from the Outlaw Ocean Project, we know that human rights violations, including forced labor, are running ra… Continue Reading
07.09.24
Committee Democrats Launch Probe of Colluding Oil Companies’ Use of Public Lands and Resources
WASHINGTON - Today, 12 House Natural Resources Committee Democrats, led by Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) requesting information about Pioneer Natural Resources (Pioneer) and seven other oil companies implicated in a class action lawsuit alleging market manipulation with global oil cartel, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies (OPEC). The companies all hold oil and gas leases on our public lands, public waters, or bot… Continue Reading
07.08.24
Grijalva Introduces Bill to Resolve Tribal Water Rights Settlements, Bring Clean Water to Indian Country
WASHINGTON - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced H.R. 8937, to help bring safe, clean, reliable water and water infrastructure to Indian Country by establishing two new subaccounts in the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund. H.R. 8937: BILL TEXT | FACT SHEET “Access to safe, clean water in this country should not be a luxury — it is essential to life, and it is a right,” said Ranking Member Grijalva. “But a long line of broken… Continue Reading
07.02.24
Grijalva Statement on Denial of Parole for Indigenous Activist Leonard Peltier
WASHINGTON - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Parole Commission’s decision to deny parole for renowned Native American activist Leonard Peltier on humanitarian grounds: “The Commission had the opportunity to take a small step toward rectifying a decades-long injustice against Mr. Peltier, but incomprehensibly, they have opted against it. I extend my deepest condolences to him, his family, and his loved o… Continue Reading
06.28.24
Grijalva, Case, House Democrats Urge President Biden to Support Pause on Deep-Sea Mining
WASHINGTON- Today, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) led a letter signed by a dozen House Democrats urging President Biden to support a moratorium on deep-seabed mining until there is sufficient scientific information on its potential environmental, social, and economic impacts. In their letter, the lawmakers highlight the importance of this fragile ecosystem, saying, “The deep sea is crucial in climate regulation and ca… Continue Reading
06.28.24
Grijalva Statement on SCOTUS Decision to Eliminate Chevron Deference, Do Bidding of Industry Billionaires
WASHINGTON - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS), to eliminate Chevron deference. The decision fulfills a longstanding policy goal of polluting and otherwise harmful industries that has been championed by industry billionaire Charles Koch. “Today’s decision is a massive gift from the Court’s extreme, right-wing majority to themselves and to polluters, the Koch brothe… Continue Reading
06.28.24
Grijalva Celebrates Final Ambler Road Decision, Calls for Rejection of Harmful Senate Defense Bill Language
WASHINGTON - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s final Record of Decision to reject the proposed Ambler Road project, an industrial mining road that would have been constructed through 211 miles of the Brooks Range and Gates of the Arctic National Preserve. “Today’s final decision reflects the voices of the many Alaska Native communities who took a firm stand against the impen… Continue Reading
06.25.24
Ranking Members Grijalva, McGovern and Rep. Vasquez Seek to Understand Barriers to Head Start Enrollment for Native Children
WASHINGTON - U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rules Committee Ranking Member James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), and Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) today sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an assessment of the challenges — and federal efforts to address those challenges — that American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children face to enrolling in Head Start early childhood education programs. In their letter, the lawmak… Continue Reading
06.14.24
Ranking Members Grijalva, Pallone Urge Agencies to Increase Tribes’ Access to Environmental Justice Funding & Resources
WASHINGTON - Washington, D.C. - U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent letters to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urging them to improve tribes’ access to federal funding and programs through Justice40, the Biden administration’s environmental justice initiative. Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) joined Rankin… Continue Reading
06.11.24
Grijalva Calls on Chair Westerman to End Committee Republicans’ Dangerous Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, Conspiracy Theories
WASHINGTON - Ahead of the House Natural Resources Committee’s sixth immigration-related hearing this Thursday, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) urging him to denounce the use of anti-immigrant disinformation, dangerous “invasion” and Great Replacement conspiracy theory language, and other white nationalist rhetoric in Committee work. In his letter, Ranking Member Grijalva outlines several incidents of Committee Republicans using bla… Continue Reading
06.08.24
On World Ocean Day, Grijalva Celebrates President Biden’s Bold Leadership on Ocean Climate Action
WASHINGTON - Today, on World Ocean Day, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement commending President Joe Biden’s recent announcement of three new national strategies to safeguard and bolster our oceans, coastal communities, and fisheries in our fight against the climate crisis. These strategies build upon the Biden administration’s historic Ocean Climate Action Plan and Ocean Justice Strategy, both of which are the first of their kind at the federal level. “A he… Continue Reading
06.06.24
In Letter to Westerman, Grijalva Issues Scathing Opposition to Subpoena Threat, Warns of Devaluing Process
WASHINGTON - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter strongly opposing Chair Bruce Westerman’s (R-Ark.) consideration of a subpoena for U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents and/or testimony, as was communicated by majority staff to minority staff this week. The subpoena threat pertains to Chair Westerman’s nearly year-long investigation into Floyd Bennett Field, which has yet to uncover any evidence of wrongdoing but has bee… Continue Reading
06.03.24
DOJ Agrees: “Insular Cases Deserve No Place in Our Law”
WASHINGTON - In a letter sent to House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) took the historic step of announcing a department-wide policy to “not rely on or seek to extend the doctrine of territorial incorporation established by the Insular Cases.” The action follows a recent bipartisan, bicameral 43-Member letter co-led by Ranking Member Grijalva, as well as letters from Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan and civil rights … Continue Reading
05.23.24
Grijalva, Huffman, Hoyle Call on Administration to Prioritize Tribal Consultation for Offshore Wind
WASHINGTON - U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), and Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) today led a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) urging the agency to prioritize early and meaningful engagement with tribes regarding offshore wind projects. The Biden administration has made historic progress on climate action and clean energy development, which is rev… Continue Reading
05.23.24
Grijalva, Committee Democrats Urge Chair Westerman to Investigate Big Oil Collusion to Inflate Gas Prices
WASHINGTON - U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter signed by 13 Committee Democrats to Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) urging him to open an investigation into the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent allegations that former Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield colluded with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+ to effectively raise gas prices for the American people. Pioneer, which was recently acquired by Exx… Continue Reading
05.20.24
Ranking Members Grijalva, Stansbury, Huffman Call on Chair Westerman to Investigate Foreign Mining Companies’ Influence on Domestic Policy
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), and Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) urging him to investigate foreign influence of U.S. laws and policies through foreign owned mining companies. In their letter, the lawmakers point out the risk that foreign-con… Continue Reading