Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Energy and Mineral Resources
Chair Grijalva Statement on Interior Department’s Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) took the next step in finalizing a new five-year National Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program by proposing no more than 11 lease sales between 2023 and 2028 in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska. "Holding any new offshore oil and gas lease sales over th… Continue Reading
06.13.22
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Porter Request Oil and Gas Public Relations Campaign Materials
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) sent letters to five public relations (PR) firms-FTI Consulting, Story Partners, DDC Advocacy, Blue Advertising, and Singer Associates-that conduct PR campaigns on behalf of fossil fuel industry clients. The lawmakers also sent a letter to the American Petroleum Institute, a major oil and gas industry trade group that plays a major, ac… Continue Reading
02.09.22
Chair Grijalva and Sen. Hirono Introduce Bill to Promote Climate Science at the U.S. Geological Survey
Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) today introduced the Climate Adaptation Science Centers Act, or the “CASC Act,” which permanently authorizes the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs). The CASCs connect scientists at USGS and other research institutions to natural and cultural resource managers who are facing the increasingly challenging impacts of climat… Continue Reading
02.04.22
Grijalva Hails New Labor and Environmental Standards Passed in COMPETES Act
Tucson, AZ Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement on House passage of the COMPETES Act, which includes provisions that tackle illegal fishing and slave labor in the seafood supply chain, expand renewable energy, address the illegal wildlife trade, bolster marine science and strengthen protection of marine life on the high seas. "America's greatest strength is the promise of economic opportunity for all. This bill reinforces that promise by ensuring that today's … Continue Reading
01.26.22
Grijalva Commends Biden Administration, DOI, for Protecting Boundary Waters, Superior National Forest
Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva released the following statement following the decision from the Biden administration to cancel two mineral leases adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. "I applaud the Biden administration for thoughtfully reviewing the shady legal underpinnings of these two leases and coming to today's decision. These potential mines threatened the health and safety of the American people, as well as one of our most cherished natural pla… Continue Reading
12.17.21
Grijalva, Committee Leaders Call for Amplify Energy to Brief Committee Members on Southern Calif. Oil Spill, Urge Sec. Haaland to Consider Canceling Amplify Leases
Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter with Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) calling on Amplify Energy Corp., the company responsible for the October oil spill off the coast of Southern California, and two of its subsidiaries to brief members of the Natural Resources Committee on their actions leading up to the disaster. The letter, available here, follows two Committee oversight hearings (see here and here) on the oil s… Continue Reading
11.26.21
Chair Grijalva: New Federal Fossil Fuel Leasing Report Shows Why Admin Must Move Forward With Rulemakings While Congress Advances Reform Bills
Tucson, Ariz. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said today that the newly released Biden administration report on updating the federal oil and gas leasing program shows the need for the administration to initiate rulemakings as soon as possible to reduce public subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, increase royalties for the public and increase public transparency in the leasing process. Grijalva said the report shows Congress must pass leasing reform bills to make necessary changes as… Continue Reading
11.19.21
Grijalva Praises Passage of Build Back Better Act, Cites Strong Environmental Provisions
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement following the House passage of the Build Back Better Act, highlighting the Act's strong conservation provisions, including funding for climate adaptation and firefighting, drought relief, and coastal restoration similar to the provisions passed by the Committee in September. Chair Grijalva noted the bill's strong investments in environmental justice and funding to increase community input on major federal … Continue Reading
11.16.21
Chair Grijalva Statement on Biden Administration’s Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Lease Sale
Washington, D.C. - Ahead of the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale tomorrow-the first new fossil fuel lease sale in 2021-Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today criticized the Biden administration's choice to hold the sale without first explaining in detail to the American people how it intends to reform and modernize the federal oil and gas program, which DOI itself has described as riddled with financial and environmental flaws. As DOI noted in Aug… Continue Reading
11.15.21
Following Discussions at COP26, Grijalva Calls for Increased Federal Funding for Research on Public Health Impacts of Pollution
Washington, D.C. - Following his return from the recently concluded United Nations climate conference in Scotland, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today called for increased funding and administrative support for human health risk analyses and environmental impact assessments across federal agencies. Analysts at the Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, U.S. Forest Service and other federal departments and agencies, he said, need more money, st… Continue Reading
11.15.21
Chair Grijalva Applauds Historic Actions by Biden Administration on Chaco Canyon, MMIW Crisis
Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz) applauded several new Biden administration initiatives to strengthen the federal government’s nation-to-nation relationship with Tribal governments. President Biden announced these initiatives at the start of the two-day White House Tribal Nations Summit, the first formal convening of tribes by the U.S. government since 2016. The initiatives announced included a 20-year moratorium on oil and gas leasing on … Continue Reading
11.08.21
Grijalva Expresses Disappointment That COP26 Lacks Sufficient Indigenous Representation, Intends to Discuss the Issue When He Arrives
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement this morning before departing for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26. "The United Nations are, in some ways, repeating the same tragic mistakes that created the climate crisis to begin with," Grijalva said. "Climate change is the direct result of industrialized nations exploiting our world's natural resources and violently stealing land from Indigenous and poor peoples. … 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
10.05.21
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
09.22.21
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
06.15.21
Chair Grijalva: Ruling That Biden Admin Must Hold New Oil and Gas Lease Sales is Wrong – We Need to Update Laws to Prevent Further Misinterpretation
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said today that the new ruling from Judge Terry Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana blocking the Department of the Interior from pausing oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters is simultaneously wrong on the legal merits and a sign of why federal leasing laws need to be updated to remove any possibility of future misinterpretations. "Republicans tempted to crow about today's ruling should exp… Continue Reading
06.09.21
Grijalva Welcomes News of Keystone Pipeline Termination, Thanks Native American and Environmental Activists Who Fought Dangerous Pipeline for Years
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement following the news that TC Energy, the Canadian company behind the Keystone XL Pipeline, will terminate the project. "The rushed approval of the Keystone Pipeline by the previous administration was a terrible idea," Chair Grijalva said. "I'm grateful for the tireless efforts of Native American communities, environmental justice groups and advocates that fought this dangerous… Continue Reading
06.08.21
Chair Grijalva Introduces Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act – New Version Creates Virgin Plastic Fee, Includes More Than 1,600 Stakeholder Comments
This release has been updated from its original version to include a statement of support from Oceana. Washington, D.C. - In honor of World Oceans Day, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, an updated version of a bill he initially offered in the previous Congress to modernize federal ocean management policy to account for climate change. The bill limits climate impacts on marine habitats, promotes carbon sinks in federal waters, advance… Continue Reading
06.01.21
Chair Grijalva Praises Biden Admin’s Suspension of Unjustified, Potentially Illegal Oil and Gas Leases in Arctic Refuge – “The Push to Drill Became a Scam”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised the Biden administration's decision to suspend the oil and gas leases issued in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), which was opened to drilling by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The news was first reported by Politico this afternoon. The Trump administration sold and issued the leases on a needlessly rapid schedule, without adequate review of public input or environmental impacts, and those leases are now be… Continue Reading