Press Releases
Chair Grijalva Questions Biden Admin Backing for Major Alaska Oil Drilling Project – Calls for Careful Review, Genuine Public Input Process
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the Biden administration's decision to defend in court ConocoPhillips' Willow Master Development Plan in the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska. "The Biden administration's decision to back ConocoPhillips' massive oil and gas project in Alaska needs to be coupled with a careful review of the environmental impacts this project will have on Native American communities and on air, wate… Continue Reading
05.26.21
Chair Grijalva Leads Letter to Senate Urging Prompt Approval of House-Passed Bill to Protect U.S. Wilderness and Public Lands, Lessen Climate Impacts
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today led a letter with 19 House Democratic colleagues to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urging them to advance the House-approved Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act to President Biden's desk for his signature. The bill, which passed the House on Feb. 26 with bipartisan support, protects millions of acres of land across the country from development and supports t… Continue Reading
05.25.21
Nat. Resources Committee Releases Explainer, Firsthand Constituent Stories on Harmful Effects of Insular Cases Rulings & Territorial Incorporation Doctrine
Washington, D.C. - Ahead of an expected landmark Supreme Court ruling this fall, the Natural Resources Committee today published an overview of the legal and economic damage done to generations of American citizens and American nationals living in the U.S. territories by the legal legacy of the Insular Cases rulings and broad legal reliance on the so-called territorial incorporation doctrine. The overview, available online at https://bit.ly/3wqYQBc, includes firsthand stories from Natural Resour… Continue Reading
05.20.21
Chair Grijalva, Sen. Blumenthal Introduce Extinction Prevention Act of 2021 to Fund Protection of Highly Imperiled, Less “Charismatic” Species
Washington, D.C. - In honor of Endangered Species Day on May 21, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) today introduced their respective versions of the Extinction Prevention Act of 2021, which provides much-needed funding for some of the most imperiled wildlife species in the United States. Targeted species include threatened and endangered North American butterflies, various Pacific Island plants, freshwater mussels, and Southwest desert fish. A fact sh… Continue Reading
05.13.21
Chair Grijalva: Secs. Haaland and Vilsack Right to Respond to Wildfire Crisis, Recognize Climate-Related Opportunities in American Jobs Plan
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised the announcement by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack of a new wildfire preparedness and climate resiliency plan for public lands. Grijalva said the issue presents a clear imperative to hire people to manage land and fight wildfires on a more consistent, climate-conscious basis, and the Biden administration is right to put climate planning at the center of more aspects of federal policy. … Continue Reading
05.06.21
Chair Grijalva: ‘America the Beautiful’ Shows Commitment to Conservation and Economic Strength, Contrasts With Trump’s Drill-Everywhere Obsession
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz) today said the newly announced "America the Beautiful" campaign provides a stark contrast between the Biden administration's commitment to conservation and sustainable job creation on the one hand and the Trump administration's destructive drill-everywhere obsession on the other. The new policy approach, Grijalva said, will combine with the American Jobs Plan to build a more sustainable economy and preserve valuable landscapes and seascap… Continue Reading
05.05.21
Chair Grijalva: After Today’s Markup, The Democratic Path Forward on Conservation is Clear – Environmental Justice and Taxpayer Fairness are Key
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said after the conclusion of today's markup - which finished a process that began on April 28 - that the Democratic legislative strategy on national conservation policy is now clearly focused on environmental justice, taxpayer fairness and climate protection. The Committee advanced a series of bills that increase taxpayer return for the private use of public resources, protect marginalized communities from exploitation, and reduce wastef… Continue Reading
05.05.21
Grijalva Introduces Resolution Recognizing National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today led 17 members of Congress in introducing a bipartisan resolution designating May 5 as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The resolution and related efforts to combat the silent crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIW) were designed in collaboration with seven national tribal organizations, each of which endorse Grijalva's resolution. "The violence perpetrated a… Continue Reading
04.27.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Secretarial Order & Legal Decisions Streamlining Federal Ability to Take Land Into Trust, Empower Tribal Economic Development
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed a new secretarial order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and a series of legal decisions by the Solicitor's office that, taken together, simplify the process by which the federal government takes land into trust on behalf of Tribal governments, eliminate needless Trump-era bureaucracy and empower tribes to pursue economic development. Haaland today issued Secretarial Order 3400, which re-delegates the authority to review… Continue Reading
04.27.21
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Lowenthal Lead Letter Urging Admin to Update Mining Rules, Strengthen Tribal Consultation, Regulate Heavily Polluting Industry
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, today sent a letter signed by 15 House Democratic colleagues and endorsed by seven conservation organizations to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging them to modernize federal mining regulations and set a groundbreaking standard for tribal consent in permitting future mining projects. Chair Grijalva intend… Continue Reading
04.22.21
Chair Grijalva Introduces Insular Area Climate Change Act With Vice Chair Sablan, Democratic Lawmakers – Seeks Broad Financial and Technical Support
This version has been updated from the original to include statements from Del. Stacey Plaskett and from Prof. Austin Shelton of the University of Guam, and to include other endorsements that were offered after the release was first sent. Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced the Insular Area Climate Change Act. The bill - cosponsored by Vice Chair Gregorio Sablan (D-CNMI), Reps. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) and Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), and Delegates Stacey… Continue Reading
04.22.21
Chair Grijalva Encourages Sec. Haaland to Return Bureau of Land Management Headquarters to Washington, Reverse Trump-Era Effort to Undermine Morale
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today wrote to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland urging her to return Bureau of Land Management (BLM) headquarters to Washington, D.C., from Grand Junction, Colo., where former BLM Director William Perry Pendley moved it during the Trump administration as part of a largely successful effort to undermine staff morale and force career experts to leave the agency. The letter, available online at https://bit.ly/3elpaFD, underscores the importa… Continue Reading
04.21.21
Chair Grijalva: Biden Administration Right to Pause Fossil Fuel Leasing on Public Lands – Equating Constant Drilling With a Strong Economy Isn’t Serious
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the Bureau of Land Management's announcement that it will not hold oil and gas lease sales on public lands for the second quarter of the year, pending the results of Biden administration's ongoing review of climate policy: "The Biden administration is right to put fossil fuel leasing on pause while it finishes its review, just as anyone would do during any similar review period. Treating constant fossi… Continue Reading
04.20.21
Chair Grijalva: Long-Delayed Biological Opinion Makes Clear That the EPA Must Ban Malathion As Soon as Possible to Protect Endangered Species
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said today that the draft biological opinion the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the pesticide malathion makes it clear that the EPA must ban the substance as soon as possible. The draft opinion says the continued use of malathion would jeopardize the continued existence of 78 species around the country and would cause adverse effects to many others, marking the most seve… Continue Reading
04.19.21
Chair Grijalva Cheers Biden Administration Decision to Release Billions in Long-Delayed Federal Funding for Disaster Relief in Puerto Rico
Washington D.C. - Today House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) cheered the announcement that the Department of Housing and Urban Development would obligate $8.2 billion in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation funds that were allocated for Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in September 2017. The Department will also remove onerous restrictions blocking Puerto Rico's access to Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief funds for long-term recov… Continue Reading
04.19.21
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Lowenthal Release GAO Report Showing Offshore Pipeline Oversight Failures; New Bill From Rep. Brownley Addresses Findings
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 that found the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) does not provide adequate oversight of thousands of miles of active offshore oil and gas pipelines and that BSEE does not have a robust process to ensure obsolete pipelines left on the seafloor follow federal sa… Continue Reading
04.16.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Climate Orders From Interior Secretary Haaland: “Real Solutions Require Long-Term Engagement, And This Is a Smart Approach”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the two new orders signed by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland today to prioritize action on climate change and make policy decisions more transparent. "This administration understands that preventing climate collapse and putting our economy on a more sustainable path takes a lot of work and meaningful consultation with people impacted by federal policies. Today's secretarial orders set up our country fo… Continue Reading
04.12.21
Chair Grijalva, Vice Chair Sablan Hail White House Announcement of Gretchen Sierra Zorita as Associate Director for Puerto Rico and Territories
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Vice Chair Gregorio Sablan (D-CNMI) today praised President Biden's hiring of Gretchen Sierra Zorita to the newly created position of White House Associate Director for Puerto Rico and Territories, which will coordinate with Congress to better address longstanding issues of importance to the millions of citizens and nationals living in U.S. territories. "The Biden administration's choice to create this position and staff it with such an ex… Continue Reading
04.08.21
Chair Grijalva, Territorial Delegates Send Bipartisan Letter Urging OMB to Support Expanding Access to Federal Programs in U.S. Territories
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and the five territorial delegates wrote to Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young today urging the office to support expanding access to federal programs in U.S. Territories, including Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). This request is in line with President … Continue Reading
04.02.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Sec. Haaland’s Announcement of New Federal Unit to Investigate and Protect Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised Sec. Deb Haaland's newly announced Missing & Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services, which will coordinate federal resources to investigate the long overlooked and widespread cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. "As Vice Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Haaland played a leading role in two hearings of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States… Continue Reading