Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Water, Wildlife and Fisheries
Chair Grijalva Highlights GAO Report He Requested Finding U.S. Coasts at Risk Without Fish & Wildlife Service Consultation on Dredging, Other Projects
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today highlighted new findings by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that a 2019 Trump administration order to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) not to consult with federal stakeholders on many coastal preservation projects has led to unjustified coastal damage, excessive dredging and other harmful consequences. The findings come in a report, which Grijalva requested and which GAO published today, titled Fish and Wildlife … 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
12.10.20
Grijalva Cheers House Passage of Saguaro National Park Expansion, Natural Resources Bills
Washington D.C. - Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed eight Natural Resources Committee bills, including Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) Saguaro National Park Boundary Expansion and Study Act of 2020 (H.R. 7098). Chair Grijalva's bill will expand Saguaro National Park and further protect the unique Sonoran Desert habitat of the greater Tucson area in Arizona, an effort he has championed since 2007. Under the terms of the bill, the Secretary of the Interior is auth… Continue Reading
12.04.20
Chair Grijalva Applauds House Passage of a Dozen Natural Resources Bills
Washington D.C. - Today, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) applauded the House passage of 12 bills within the Committee's jurisdiction. Bills passed on the House floor include legislation to protect big cats, reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, and strengthen access to health care for Urban Native Veterans. "This Committee is working to provide real solutions to challenges facing communities across the na… Continue Reading
11.13.20
Livestream Next Week: Tuesday Hearing on Ocean Climate Action Bill – Effort Would Create Jobs, Reduce Emissions, Protect Millions From Climate Impacts
Washington, D.C. - The full House Committee on Natural Resources, led by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), will hold a legislative hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time titled Ocean Climate Action: Solutions to the Climate Crisis. The hearing will include consideration of Grijalva's H.R. 8632, the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, introduced on Oct. 20. The 324-page package is the first comprehensive legislative effort to fully utilize oceans' climate mitigation potent… Continue Reading
10.20.20
Chairs Grijalva, Castor Introduce Landmark Oceans Solutions Bill to Tackle Climate Crisis
Washington D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today unveiled his Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act at a virtual press conference with his co-lead, House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Chair Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), original cosponsors, and a range of bill endorsers. This landmark legislation was introduced by more than a dozen members of the House of Representatives to address the ocean impacts of climate change and reform federal ocean manage… Continue Reading
10.05.20
Chair Grijalva, Committee Democrats Release “The Melting Arctic” Report Ahead of Today’s Forum on Impacts to People and Wildlife
Washington D.C. - Today Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva and Committee Democrats released a new report entitled The Melting Arctic: Climate Change Impacts on People and Wildlife to accompany a livestreamed Democratic forum to investigate the same topic that will commence today at 2:00 pm Eastern time. The full report, available online at https://bit.ly/34oGxQJ, provides an in-depth look at the extreme negative impacts the climate crisis has had on this fragile landscap… Continue Reading
10.02.20
Chair Grijalva, Ranking Member Bishop Highlight New GAO Report They Requested on Deficiencies in Federal Oversight of Human Rights Abuses
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Rob Bishop (R-Utah) today highlighted a newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report they had requested demonstrating more safeguards need to be put in place to ensure taxpayer money does not support human rights abuses by park rangers overseas. The GAO report, Combatting Wildlife Trafficking: Agencies Work to Address Human Rights Abuse Allegations in Overseas Conserva… Continue Reading
09.15.20
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Huffman Seek Explanation From NOAA Following Political Hire of Climate Denier David Legates to Leadership Role
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, sent a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Acting Administrator Neil Jacobs today seeking information about the process used to hire climate denier Dr. David Legates as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction. Legates has spent his career denying the widely accepted scien… Continue Reading
07.07.20
Chair Grijalva, Ranking Member Cantwell Urge Trump Administration to Stop Obstructing Release of “Sharpiegate” Report
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Senate Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who lead the committees of jurisdiction over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross demanding that the Trump administration stop interfering with the Department of Commerce Inspector General's (IG) "Sharpiegate" investigation that was scheduled to be released last week. The report evaluates the alleged political interference i… Continue Reading
07.01.20
Chair Grijalva Hails House Infrastructure Package – Highlights Advances on Water Infrastructure, Habitat and Coastal Protection, Tribal & Territorial Funding
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed House passage of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, and highlighted the many environmental conservation and water availability improvements the bill includes. A fact sheet laying out the bill's improvements in the Natural Resources Committee's jurisdiction is available at https://bit.ly/31BWJP2, Highlights include: Investing in modern water infrastructure projects that will provide reliable water supplies in a changing clim… Continue Reading
06.30.20
Chair Grijalva Hails Climate Committee Recommendations – Highlights Public Lands Net-Zero Carbon Bill, Environmental Justice, Other Measures
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva today congratulated the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and Chair Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) on today's comprehensive report recommending a broad and aggressive policy approach to climate change. The Committee, Grijalva said, has done a vital public service in focusing on the greatest threat humanity faces and basing its recommendations on thorough public outreach. Grijalva praised Speaker Nancy Pelosi's determination to create the Committee an… Continue Reading
06.25.20
In New Letter, Chair Grijalva and Rep. Huffman Highlight President Trump’s Failure to Distribute Congressionally Approved Funding for Hard-Hit Fishermen
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, sent a letter to President Trump today questioning his administration's unexplained failure to distribute $300 million in financial aid to Tribal, subsistence, commercial, and charter fishery participants three months after Congress approved the measure as part of the CARES Act, which became law on March 27. The letter is available at https://bit… Continue Reading
06.18.20
GAO Report Requested by Chair Grijalva Finds Customs & Border Protection Needs to Improve Stakeholder Outreach on Reducing Slavery in Seafood Industry
Washington, D.C. - In a new report today requested by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have not effectively coordinated with partner agencies to reduce human slavery and illegal labor practices in the seafood industry and need to improve their investigative methods. The report makes clear that collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), affiliated no… Continue Reading
05.08.20
Chair Grijalva Introduces Murder Hornet Eradication Act – Directs Funding to States for Eradication Programs, Impacted Bee Colony Restoration
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced the Murder Hornet Eradication Act, which directs new funding to states to eradicate the Asian giant hornet and restore bee populations the invasive species has already damaged. Formally, the bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to states to eradicate the hornet. The bill, available online at https://bit.ly/35OmpYD, is modeled on the Nutria Eradication a… Continue Reading
03.02.20
Grijalva Says “Maintaining Status Quo Isn’t Enough” as Center for American Progress Releases Report on House Dem Conservation Successes
Washington D.C. - The Center for American Progress (CAP) released a new report today highlighting the efforts of House Democrats "to reverse a decade of legislative obstruction and stagnation in U.S. land, water, and wildlife conservation." The report contrasts the actions taken by the Democratic majority in the 116th Congress with the efforts by Republicans in previous Congresses, underscoring the many ways in which Democrats prioritize natural resource conservation for the benefit of the Ameri… Continue Reading
02.26.20
Dems Push Big Climate Solutions as Republicans Repeat Tired, Years-Old Climate Denial Talking Points After Weeks of Touting New Thinking
Washington, D.C. - Republicans at today's recently concluded hearing on the ways to address climate change with public lands repeated the same years-old climate denial talking points they've used to reject action in previous congresses, calling their recent attempted pivot on the issue into question and underscoring Republican leadership's inability to produce serious plans that rank-and-file members support. The hearing - on Chair Raúl M. Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) American Public Lands and W… Continue Reading
02.14.20
Nat. Resources Committee Holding Feb. 26 Hearing on Chair Grijalva’s Public Lands and Waters Climate Change Bill, Rep. Westerman’s “Trillion Trees Act
Washington, D.C. - The Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on Feb. 26 at 10:00 a.m. in Longworth 1324 on two bills introduced by Committee members designed to address climate change. H.R. 5435, the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act, was introduced on Dec. 16, 2019, by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.). It requires public lands and waters to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. H.R. 5859, the Trillion Trees Act, was introduced on Feb. 12, … Continue Reading
02.12.20
Natural Resources Committee Approves Resolution Authorizing Chair to Issue Subpoenas, Bills to Increase Access to Clean Water
Washington D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee today voted to grant Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) the authority to issue subpoenas, and approved several water and energy bills. "This Committee, regardless of who is in power, cannot be an inconvenience to whatever administration happens to be in power," Chair Grijalva said. "And we have never confronted an administration like the Trump administration that sees the role of this branch of government as irrelevant and inconvenien… Continue Reading
01.29.20
Natural Resources Committee Advances Bills Tackling Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss by Protecting Endangered Species and Habitats
Washington D.C. - Today Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led a Committee markup to advance nine pieces of legislation, including key Natural Resources measures to reverse President Trump's efforts to gut the Endangered Species Act and to reduce climate change impacts on at-risk species. Among the measures advanced today, the Committee approved H.R. 4348, Chair Grijalva's bill repealing the misguided Endangered Species Act regulations the Trump administration issued last year. Under Trump… Continue Reading