Press Releases
Chair Grijalva, Rep. O’Halleran, Supporters of “Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act” Holding Post-Vote Press Conference on Wednesday Evening
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D-Ariz.) will hold a press conference at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, Oct. 30, in H-137 at the U.S. Capitol following the House vote on Grijalva's Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act. The lawmakers will be joined by Native American and other supporters of the bill, which puts a permanent moratorium on new uranium mining claims on more than 1 million acres around Grand Canyon National Park. The event w… Continue Reading
10.28.19
Chair Grijalva on Interior Dept. Backtracking on FOIA Responses: “Political Appointees Should Not Decide What Documents The Public Get to See”
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement today on the news that the Department of the Interior (DOI) will reverse its proposed changes to how it processes Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The move comes after public outcry by lawmakers - including former House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) - pushing DOI to end its politicization of the FOIA process. "The Interior Department… Continue Reading
10.24.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Huffman Request Administration Data on Impacts From Potential Rollback of Roadless Rule in Tongass National Forest
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen today seeking more information on how the Trump administration's proposal to end Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass National Forest will impact indigenous communities, the regional economy, local salmon habitats, and the health of vital watershed… Continue Reading
10.24.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Lowenthal Release GAO Report Finding Fossil Fuel Companies Have Avoided Paying Billions in Taxpayer Royalties From Offshore Drilling
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 finding that U.S. taxpayers have been deprived of nearly $20 billion in offshore oil and gas revenues due to a Newt Gingrich-era law that exempted certain offshore leases from having to pay federal royalties and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) policies that consistently … Continue Reading
10.23.19
Natural Resources Committee Passes Mining Reform, Mining Pension Bills
Washington, D.C. - Today the Natural Resources Committee voted to advance Chair Raúl M. Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) bill to update our nation's antiquated Mining Law of 1872 (H.R. 2579, Hardrock Leasing and Reclamation Act of 2019) and two bills aimed at protecting miner pensions and health benefits (H.R. 934,Health Benefits for Miners Act of 2019 and H.R. 935, Miners Pension Protection Act). America's mining laws have remained relatively untouched since they were established by President Ulyss… Continue Reading
10.22.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Huffman Slam Trump Admin Favor to Secretary Bernhardt’s Former Client that Risks Extinction For Salmon
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) released the following statements regarding the Trump administration's proposal to increase water deliveries through the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) by weakening longstanding protections for endangered species in the ecologically fragile San Francisco Bay Delta. Even by the low standards of … Continue Reading
10.21.19
Chair Grijalva, Insular Delegates Introduce Historic Bipartisan Resolution Rejecting Racist & Imperialist Language in U.S. Supreme Court Insular Cases
Washington D.C. - Last Friday, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) introduced a bipartisan resolution with Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-CNMI), Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI), Rep. Michael San Nicolas (D-Guam), and Rep. Jenniffer González-Colon (R-PR) rejecting the racist and imperialist language present in the U.S. Supreme Court decisions referred to as the Insular Cases. These cases were decided in the early 20th century and establish the relationship between th… Continue Reading
10.16.19
TOMORROW: Wildlife, Religious Leaders Coming to Capitol Hill for Multi-Faith Blessing of the Animals Ceremony
Washington D.C. - Tomorrow, Oct. 17, the House Natural Resources Committee will host a "Blessing of the Animals" ceremony on Capitol Hill in partnership with the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. Religious leaders from multiple faiths will provide a blessing for all creatures and reflect on the importance of saving endangered species and the role of the Endangered Species Act. The Blessing of the Animals is a religious event customarily held on the Feast of St. Francis and i… Continue Reading
10.15.19
In New Video, Arizonans Urge Permanent Grand Canyon Protection Ahead of Expected Vote on Chair Grijalva’s “Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act”
Washington, D.C. - In a newly released video, Arizonans from all walks of life describe the need to protect the Grand Canyon from new uranium mining claims ahead of an expected vote later this month on Chair Raúl M. Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act. The video, available on Twitter here and Facebook here, includes voices from the Native American, sportsmen and business communities. Chair Grijalva introduced the bill in February. A vote is expected on the House f… Continue Reading
10.15.19
Chair Grijalva, Leading Democrats Promise Oversight of Trump Administration Proposal to Remove Protections for Millions of Acres of American Rainforest
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and other leading Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee today promised targeted oversight following the U.S. Forest Service's proposal to roll back existing protections for millions of acres of roadless national forests in Alaska. By undoing decades of environmental protections in roadless areas, the Trump administration threatens severe damage to millions of acres of pristine ecosystems, irreplaceable habitats and invaluabl… Continue Reading
09.30.19
Chair Grijalva Hosting Forum This Wednesday in Northern Arizona With Navajo Uranium Miners on Tribal Land
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is hosting a forum on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time to discuss the future of uranium mining. What: Forum with Navajo uranium miners Where: Navajo Education Center, 1 Morgan Blvd. Window Rock, Ariz. When: Oct. 2 at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time Panelists: Navajo uranium miners and family members Members of the community Health care "I met a Navajo uranium miner this summer and was moved by the strength it took to… Continue Reading
09.30.19
Broad Spectrum of Science Organizations Rejects Trump Administration Attempt to Force Bureau of Land Management to Ignore Climate Change Impacts
Washington, D.C. - Several science organizations today soundly rejected the Trump administration's attempt to force the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to pretend, in a formal government document, that climate change is not a serious threat. The appendix of BLM's recently released environmental impact statement for the proposed oil and gas leasing program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge includes the following consciously misleading language: The BLM does not agree that the proposed d… Continue Reading
09.25.19
Grijalva Letter to Sec. Bernhardt Requesting Documents on BLM Reorganization September 25 2019
09.25.19
Natural Resources Committee Advances 10 Bills, Including Ocean Climate Change Legislation
Washington D.C. - On the same day that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC), Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led a markup on ocean-related climate change legislation. Among the 10 bills approved today, the Committee advanced legislation to conserve wetlands, to promote fish conservation, to provide grants to Indian Tribes for tribal coastal zones, to expand flood prevention, to support c… Continue Reading
09.20.19
NEXT WEEK: Full Committee Markup, Full Committee Joint Hearing, Several Legislative and Oversight Hearings
Washington, D.C. - The Committee on Natural Resources is hosting five hearings next week, including a joint hearing between the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Foreign Affairs on Sustaining U.S. Pacific Insular Relationships. Energy and Mineral Resources Legislative Hearing: Fossil Fuel Development: Protecting Taxpayers and Eliminating Industry Giveaways When: Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time Where: 1324 Longworth House Office Building Bills Considered … Continue Reading
09.19.19
POSTPONED: Chair Grijalva Press Conference Scheduled for Friday at 12:15 p.m.
Washington D.C. - In honor of tomorrow's nationwide climate strikes, the press conference previously scheduled by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has been postponed. New details will be made available at a later date.… Continue Reading
09.19.19
Natural Resources Committee Approves 16 Bills, Including Key Legislation to Protect Wildlife, Improve Ocean Mapping, Better Manage Fisheries
Washington, D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee approved 16 bills at a two-hour markup yesterday. Among other measures, the Committee advanced Chair Raúl M. Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) CECIL Act, which would strengthen the standards under which sport hunted trophies of endangered and threatened species could be imported, and Rep. Gregorio Sablan's (D-CNMI) bill to prohibit the sale of shark fins. Bill texts and amendments in the nature of a substitute can also be found by visiting the … Continue Reading
09.19.19
Chair Grijalva Blasts Trump Admin Handover of 560 Acres of Federally Protected Public Lands to Army Control for Border Wall Construction
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement on the news that President Trump's Department of the Interior will transfer 560 acres of federally protected public lands to the U.S. Army for the construction of 70 miles of Trump's unpopular border wall, paid for with taxpayer money. Grijalva recently released a video with exclusive footage of border wall construction in Arizona and interviews with residents. "The Trump administration has treated our bord… Continue Reading
09.18.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Lowenthal Release GAO Report on Taxpayer Exposure from Inadequate BLM Oil and Gas Bonds, Look Ahead to Hearing on Reform Bill
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 finding that oil and gas bonds held by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are insufficient to clean up orphaned wells, putting U.S. taxpayers potentially on the hook for reclamation costs ranging from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars. The GAO report, Oil and Gas: Bureau … Continue Reading
09.17.19
Chair Grijalva, Senator Udall Introduce Bill to Protect Endangered Species, Reverse Trump’s Changes That Will Add to Extinction Crisis
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), lead Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, introduced legislation today to repeal all three Trump administration final rule changes to the Endangered Species Act, which taken together will fundamentally change the way we protect threatened and endangered species. Under Trump's rules, the administration can ignore long-term threats to wildl… Continue Reading