Press Releases
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 - available online at https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/12/08/biden-climate-unity-grijalva-443650 - titled "Biden Needs to Go Big on the Climate." "The Select Committe… Continue Reading
12.10.20
Chair Grijalva Urges President-Elect Biden to Implement Puerto Rico Priorities Quickly, Create Working Group to Advise White House and Congress
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris yesterday urging the rapid implementation of the Biden-Harris Plan for Recovery, Renewal and Respect for Puerto Rico, and to encourage the incoming administration to create a federal working group to offer analysis and expertise to the White House and congressional lawmakers on Puerto Rico financial recovery and reconstruction as soon as possible. The letter, which… 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
12.09.20
Chair Grijalva on Newly Unveiled Portrait of Former Secretary Ryan Zinke: “An Intentional Final Insult to the Tribes He Disrespected From the Moment He Took Office”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the newly unveiled formal portrait of former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. "Former Secretary Ryan Zinke left office under legal investigation, and his new portrait is entirely consistent with his smug, unethical, condescending tenure at the Interior Department. Setting his formal portrait at Bears Ears National Monument, which he happily dismantled despite the wishes of Native Americans around the co… Continue Reading
12.09.20
On Heels of BLM Oil and Gas Lease Sale, Chair Grijalva and Rep. Lowenthal Release GAO Report Showing Extent of Industry Giveaways From Outdated Practices
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Alan S. Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, today released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report showing that the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) practice of noncompetitive oil and gas leasing allows companies to lock up millions of acres of public lands for decades while U.S. taxpayers receive pennies in return. The report, Oil and Gas: Onshore Competitive and Noncompet… Continue Reading
12.08.20
House Passes Congress’ First Amendment To PROMESA, More Reforms Needed to Improve Quality of Life for Puerto Ricans
Washington D.C. - The House of Representatives today passed H.R. 683,the Puerto Rico Recovery Accuracy in Disclosures Act of 2019(PRRADA), the first amendment approved by either chamber of Congress to the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). The legislation - introduced by Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) - mandates financial disclosures by professionals working on PROMESA debt adjustment cases before they can seek compensation for their services, with … Continue Reading
12.07.20
Chair Grijalva, Subcommittee Chairs Slam Rush to Lease Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain Before Biden Inauguration – Accelerated Timeline Violates BLM Rules
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, and Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, wrote to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt today seeking an explanation of how the Department of the Interior can move forward with a lease sale in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge when it would be cutting short a comment period and… 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
12.03.20
Chair Grijalva Thanks Democratic Caucus for Reappointment as Chair in 117th Congress, Looks Ahead to Focus on Climate Change, Environmental Justice
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) thanked the House Democratic Caucus today for reappointing him as Chair for the 117th Congress, saying he looked forward to focusing on climate change and environmental justice as key themes in the coming term. "The Natural Resources Committee has taken big strides in leading on climate change and environmental justice over the past two years, and with a Biden administration focused on its clear national mandate to address those issues,… Continue Reading
11.30.20
House Natural Resources Committee Seeks Video Evidence of Fencing Construction and Verbal Warnings Before and During Lafayette Square Crackdown
Washington, D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee seeks assistance in understanding the events of June 1, 2020, when police attacked peaceful protestors at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. Specifically, the Committee is looking for video and/or photographic evidence of: the arrival, movement, and construction of anti-scale fencing on June 1; and verbal warnings from law enforcement to protestors between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m. indicating that the area was about to be cleared. … Continue Reading
11.16.20
Chair Raúl M. Grijalva Statement on Impending Trump Administration Lease Sale for Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement today on the impending Trump administration lease sale for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. "This administration is ending as it began, with a desperate push for oil drilling regardless of the human or environmental costs. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would destroy one of the most iconic wilderness areas on Earth for no discernible public benefit, and it's as wrong to allow it now as it'… 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
10.28.20
Chair Grijalva Releases Roadmap to Repair DOI & Other Agencies, Reverse Damage From Four Years of Trump Administration Corruption and Incompetence
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and the majority staff of the House Natural Resources Committee today released a 47-page report outlining the Trump administration's destruction of the Department of the Interior (DOI) and other agencies in the Committee's jurisdiction and how to restore those agencies' effectiveness and credibility. The report, titled Dirty Deals: Four Years of the Trump Administration Putting Polluter Profits Over People, is available online at https:… Continue Reading
10.26.20
Chair Grijalva Highlights New Report Documenting “Shameful” Trump Administration Data Breaches That Publicized Native American Tribal Finances
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today highlighted a new Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report documenting what he called "shameful" data breaches in federal agency handling of sensitive Native American governments' financial information. The breach occurred as part of the administration's larger failure to disburse Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funding to Tribes that could have prevented severe outbre… Continue Reading
10.21.20
Chair Grijalva Leads House Lawmaker Letter Calling for Investigation of Insider Trading by Puerto Rico Hedge Fund Creditors
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and other key lawmakers today wrote a letter to Natalie Jaresko, executive director of the Puerto Rico Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB), urging "a thorough, independent investigation into the serious insider trading allegations levied against hedge fund creditors in the context of the restructuring of Puerto Rico's central government debt" before any further negotiations take place. The letter, available at https://bit.ly/… 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
10.14.20
In New Letter, Chair Grijalva Pushes Bernhardt for Written Explanations of Administration’s Shifting Narrative Around Violent Lafayette Square Crackdown
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent Interior Secretary David Bernhardt a letter asking for documents and interviews to explain the administration's violent June 1 law enforcement crackdown at Lafayette Square against peaceful civil rights protesters. The letter, available at https://bit.ly/2SWtxg4, highlights inconsistent and evasive testimony from Acting U.S. Park Police Chief Gregory Monahan at the Committee's July 28 hearing and the administration's consisten… Continue Reading
10.06.20
Ahead of Today’s Hearing, Chair Grijalva Highlights GAO Finding that Bureau of Land Management Royalty Cuts for Industry Violated Internal Protocols
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) this morning highlighted a newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finding that the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) royalty reductions for oil and gas companies during the COVID-19 pandemic violated its own regulations, and were implemented so haphazardly and inconsistently that BLM cannot determine if it achieved its stated goals of conserving public resources and protecting U.S. taxpayer interest… Continue Reading
10.05.20
Rep. Gallego, Chair Grijalva, Sen. Cantwell Lead Letter to Sec. Perdue Urging Pause or Reversal of Roadless Rule Exemption in Tongass Natl. Forest
Washington, D.C. - Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) led a bicameral letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today urging a pause or full reversal of the proposed exemption of Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which has protected tens of millions of acres of federal lands from overdevelopment and unwarranted logging since Jan. 12, 2001. On the House side, the letter - available online at… 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