Press Releases
Following Year-Long Collaborative Effort, Chair Grijalva and Rep. McEachin Introduce Landmark Environmental Justice Legislation
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) introduced their landmark Environmental Justice for All Act at a press conference today on Capitol Hill. The event marked the culmination of a yearlong process with advocates and stakeholders in which Members of Congress met with and gathered feedback from the public and the environmental justice community to craft the legislation. "Justice and equity must be at the center of environmental and conserv… Continue Reading
02.26.20
As Blasting Continues, Dems Highlight Cultural Destruction of Trump’s Racist Border Wall – Republicans, Trump Admin Dismiss Lack of Tribal Consultation
Washington, D.C. - Democrats at today's hearing of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States highlighted the environmental, cultural and historical damage the Trump administration's racist border wall has done to Native American communities, questioning the administration's repeated and seemingly intentional failures to consult with tribal leaders before destroying sacred sites or bulldozing sensitive areas for wall construction. The hearing took place just hours after U.S Cus… 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
02.26.20
Chair Grijalva Cheers House Passage of Bipartisan Bills To Establish First Outdoor Women’s Suffrage Monument, Promote Conservation
Washington D.C. - Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed seven bipartisan Natural Resources Bills under suspension of the rules, including Rep. Joe Neguse's (D-Colo.) bill to establish the first outdoor monument honoring the women's suffrage movement in Washington, D.C. "I'm proud of the work that members on and off our Committee are doing to preserve the environment, history, and culture of our nation," said Chair Grijalva. "The bipartisan pieces of legislation the House passed today r… 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
Chair Grijalva Highlights House Passage of Conservation Bill Protecting More Than 1.3 Million Acres of New Wilderness as Latest Democratic Measure to Prevent Climate Change
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed House passage of the Protecting America's Wilderness Act (H.R. 2546), which combines six previously separate bills that together recognize more than 1.3 million acres of wilderness across the West and protect more than 1,000 river miles under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The package, which passed by a 231-183 vote, will help prevent climate change by improving land management and by limiting … 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
02.07.20
Chair Grijalva Votes for Emergency Puerto Rico Earthquake Funding, Criticizes President Trump for Failing the People of Puerto Rico
Washington D.C. - Today Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) spoke on the House floor in favor of H.R. 5687, which provides $4.67 billion in emergency funding to Puerto Rico following 12 earthquakes of greater than 5.0 magnitude that have destroyed homes and infrastructure, led to major rockslides, and caused at least one fatality on the island. The bill provides funds to invest in community development, restart school operations, fund technical assistance related … Continue Reading
02.06.20
Chair Grijalva Blasts Interior’s Latest Efforts to Shrink Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments to Favor Extractive Industries
Washington D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today released the following statement blasting President Trump's Department of the Interior final management plans for the reduced Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. Trump's action today is a continuation of his illegal 2016 decision to shrink both monuments by approximately two million acres. "President Trump's campaign to dismantle our national monume… Continue Reading
02.05.20
Committee Markup on Subpoena Authority Rescheduled to Feb. 12 Due to National Prayer Breakfast
Washington, D.C. - The Committee on Natural Resources markup previously scheduled for Feb. 6, where the Committee was set to vote on granting Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) subpoena authority, has been moved to the morning of Feb. 12 due to the National Prayer Breakfast. Natural Resources is one of only a few committees in the House not to grant the chair such authority automatically at the beginning of each Congress. The Committee held a hearing in September 2019 specifically on the T… Continue Reading
02.04.20
New Report Details Damage Caused by Earthquakes in Puerto Rico, Actions Needed to Help Island Recover
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva released a new report today based on firsthand Committee staff reviews of recent earthquake damage in Puerto Rico. The report provides lessons learned during a Committee research trip in January and suggests a series of actions to speed recovery for the people of Puerto Rico. The full report is available online at http://bit.ly/2SmDpig. Since Dec. 28, 2019, Puerto Rico has experienced a series of seismic events, inclu… Continue Reading
02.03.20
Committee Holding Markup This Thursday to Vote on Chair Grijalva’s Authority to Issue Subpoenas
Washington, D.C. - The Committee on Natural Resources will hold a markup at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Feb. 6, on a resolution to grant Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) the authority to issue subpoenas. Natural Resources is one of only a few committees in the House not to grant the chair such authority automatically at the beginning of each Congress. Chair Grijalva and Democrats on the Committee have sent 25 formal requests to the Department of the Interior for information. Onl… 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
01.22.20
Grijalva Calls for Reversal of Decision That Expedites Mining Approvals
Washington D.C. - Today, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalvasent a letter to Alexander H. Herrgott, the Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, opposing the Council's recent decision to expedite permit approvals for the hardrock mining industry. Chair Grijalva warns that this move demonstrates a disregard for public health and the environmental risks of these mining activities. Despite evidence from the Environmental Protection Agency th… Continue Reading
01.17.20
Chair Grijalva Slams Trump Administration Conditions for Puerto Rico Disaster Aid, Announces Staff Delegation to Review Damage and Reconstruction
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva today said the Trump administration's five-day delay in responding to Puerto Rican Gov. Wanda Vazquez's request for a major disaster declaration - and its newly announced, completely unreasonable conditions for releasing the disaster relief aid it has illegally withheld from Puerto Rico since Hurricane Mariacaused $90 billion in damages in 2017 - are definitive proof that the island can expect no meaningful support from the White House or Republic… Continue Reading
01.14.20
Chair Grijalva Welcomes Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia to Committee, Looks Forward to Collaborating on Environmental Justice, Other Pressing Issues
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today welcomed Rep. Jesús "Chuy" Garcia (D-Ill.) to the Natural Resources Committee, saying his decades of work on environmental justice will be a special asset to the entire Committee. Garcia joined the Committee after the departure of Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), who left the Democratic Party. Environmental justice has been a point of emphasis for the Committee throughout Grijalva's chairmanship. Among other initiatives, Grijal… Continue Reading
01.09.20
Grijalva Demands Answers, Calls Out Homeland Security for Advancing Border Wall Without Consulting Tohono O’odham Nation
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf expressing concern that the agency's failure to consult with the Tohono O'odham Nation on the construction of the border wall is disrespectful and threatens tribal lands and sacred sites. Among other sites at risk, the Trump administration's planned border wall runs close to Quitobaquito Spring in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, which is of great cultural and histori… Continue Reading
01.09.20
Chair Grijalva: Trump Administration Changes to NEPA Implementation Are Illegal, More About Protecting Polluters Than Listening to the Public
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the Trump administration's revisions to federal rules on implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). "The Trump administration's NEPA rule revisions, like its revisions to every other environmental law it touches, are about giving polluters more political power and protecting them from public scrutiny. These changes mean polluting corporations will have an easier time doing whatever the… Continue Reading
01.07.20
Rep. Grijalva: La administración Trump debe corregir las fallas con los fondos federales del huracán María y proveer asistencia inmediata a Puerto Rico luego de los recientes sismos
Washington, D.C. - Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), presidente del Comité de Recursos Naturales, anunció que el Comité está monitoreando los esfuerzos de emergencia en la costa suroeste de Puerto Rico tras los sismos de magnitud 6.4 y 5.6 de esta mañana. Grijalva solicitó a la administración Trump que desembolse los fondos de recuperación del huracán María, y se prepare para proveerle asistencia de emergencia a la isla luego… Continue Reading
01.07.20
Chair Grijalva: Trump Administration Must Correct Past Mismanagement, Immediately Release Aid to Puerto Rico Following Recent Earthquakes
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) this morning said the Natural Resources Committee is closely monitoring relief efforts following magnitude 6.4 and 5.6 earthquakes originating in southwestern Puerto Rico. Grijalva called on the Trump administration to disburse still unused Hurricane Maria disaster recovery funding and prepare to release earthquake disaster aid without delay. Thanks in large part to the lack of federal response, the island and its people are still strug… Continue Reading