Press Releases
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
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 - 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