Press Releases
Natural Resources Committee Passes Grijalva Bills to Protect Grand Canyon From Uranium Mining, Remove Uranium From “Critical Minerals” List
Washington, D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee just approved Chair Raúl M. Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) bills to protect the Grand Canyon from new uranium mining claims (H.R. 1373, the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act) and to remove uranium from the federal critical minerals list (H.R. 3405, Removing Uranium From the Critical Minerals List Act). Taken together, the bills represent a concerted effort to end the mining industry's push for special treatment from the federal governmen… Continue Reading
07.15.19
Chair Grijalva on Expected Bureau of Land Management Move to Colorado: This is Industry Favoritism and Staff Cutting, Not Improving Public Service
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on reports that Interior Secretary David Bernhardt intends to move the Bureau of Land Management headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Grand Junction, Colo. Bernhardt, a native of nearby Rifle, Colo., and other top Interior officials have resisted the Committee's calls for transparency on the Trump administration's plans to "reorganize" the Interior Department or affiliated agencies. "This administrat… Continue Reading
07.11.19
In New Video, Local Voices From Coal Communities Highlight Human Costs of Relentless Coal Mining, Need for Real Economic Diversification
Washington, D.C. - A new video from the House Natural Resources Committee majority, based on multiple interviews with coal country leaders and spokespeople, highlights the high economic and human health toll of coal mining and the lack of economic diversification that has resulted from an overreliance on industry promises. The video, available at http://bit.ly/2LiarPq, tracks the stories of West Virginia and Kentucky coal communities that face below average life expectancies, entrenched poverty,… Continue Reading
07.10.19
Chair Grijalva: Arrest of Several Leading Puerto Rican Officials is Troubling: “Gov. Rosselló Needs to Take Steps to Restore His Government’s Credibility”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today said that, given this morning's FBI arrests of high-ranking former Puerto Rican government officials and a key private-sector accounting executive, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló needs to take immediate steps to restore his administration's credibility and protect the interests of the Puerto Rican people. Federal law enforcement officials held a press conference at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time today to discuss the arrests and … Continue Reading
07.08.19
As Trump Tries to Defend Environmental Record, Report by Chair Grijalva Assesses Environmental Damage Through Budget Cuts & Policy Giveaways
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released a report today revealing the extent of the Trump administration's environmental destruction. The report - which comes shortly after President Trump concluded a speech on his environmental record that avoided any mention of climate change - outlines the administration's broad range of regulatory rollbacks, industry giveaways and funding cuts since taking office. The report, titled President Trump is Attacking Our Natural Resourc… Continue Reading
07.03.19
Chair Grijalva Pushes Interior Secretary for Answers on Trump’s Use of National Park Service Visitor Funds to Pay for Military Parade on Fourth of July
Tucson, Ariz. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt pushing for clarification on how the Trump administration is funding the president's military parade and campaign rally on the Fourth of July. The Washington Post recently reported that Trump officials intend to use approximately $2.5 million in National Park Service (NPS) visitor enhancement funds to cover certain costs for the event, which will feature an Air Force flyover and tank… Continue Reading
07.03.19
In Newly Submitted Comments, Chair Grijalva Raises Serious Environmental and Social Concerns With Proposed Construction of U.S.-Mexico Border Wall
Tucson, Ariz. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent formal comments opposing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) proposal to build 63 miles of new border wall in Pima and Cochise counties in Arizona along the U.S-Mexico border, approximately 300 miles of which is in Grijalva's district. The proposed wall would damage communities throughout the region and cut through federally protected public lands, including Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Organ Pipe National Mon… Continue Reading
07.01.19
Chair Grijalva, Ranking Member Bishop Seek Documents as Investigation of Alleged Human Rights Abuses by Wildlife Advocacy Groups Intensifies
Washington D.C. - Today, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Ranking Member Rob Bishop (R-Utah) sent a letter to Carter Roberts, the President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), requesting documents on WWF's procedures, role in, and knowledge of alleged human rights abuses revealed by Buzzfeed News in March. The letter can be viewed at http://bit.ly/2KO8473. The letter summarizes the concerns: "Despite the importance of protecting wildlife and preven… Continue Reading
07.01.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Lowenthal Release GAO Report on Industry’s Compliance With Fossil Fuel Royalties, Look Ahead to Taxpayer Protection Bill
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 released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finding that the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) should do more to ensure industry pays the royalties it owes the public from the extraction of public oil and gas resources. The GAO report, Federal Oil and Gas Royalties: Additional Acti… Continue Reading
06.28.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. McEachin Launch Historic Effort to Draft Environmental Justice Bill Based on Public Feedback at Environmental Justice Convening
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) hosted a historic all-day environmental justice convening in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, featuring an interactive tool allowing advocates from around the country to weigh in on the principles underlying a forthcoming bill to protect their communities' legal rights. The unprecedented event brought national policymakers, environmental leaders and local advocates together to begin a dialogue on the future … Continue Reading
06.25.19
Chair Grijalva Secures Major Wins on Uranium Mining, Border Environmental Impacts as House Passes Crucial Environmental Funding Bills
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) successfully included two amendments to the recently approved H.R. 3055, the House of Representatives appropriations package for environmental and other agencies. One blocks implementation of a Trump executive order that could make it easier to mine uranium near the Grand Canyon and elsewhere in the U.S.; the other prevents the Department of the Interior from transferring jurisdiction over federal public lands to the Department of Homelan… Continue Reading
06.24.19
Chair Grijalva Pushes Interior Secretary to Explain Use of Public Lands Recreation Money as “Slush Fund” for Unauthorized Expenses, Questions Legality
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote today to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt seeking an explanation for Bernhardt's use of money raised through the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) to pay for day-to-day operations at the National Park Service. Bernhardt's decision to use FLREA as a "slush fund," Grijalva writes, not only ignores Congress' sole power to appropriate funds to federal agencies but contradicts FLREA, a law designed to enhance visitor ex… Continue Reading
06.21.19
Chair Grijalva, Rep. McEachin to Host Historic Environmental Justice Summit at U.S. Capitol With Hundreds of Participants From Across the Country
Washington D.C. - On Wednesday, June 26, Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) are hosting an environmental justice summit at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium. This all-day event will convene policymakers, environmental leaders and practitioners to educate Congressional staff on the history and context of the environmental justice (EJ) movement, discuss current challenges and policy priorities for EJ practitioners and frontline co… Continue Reading
06.21.19
Chair Grijalva: New Draft NEPA Guidance on Greenhouse Gases Ignores Climate Risks, Shows Trump Admin Doesn’t Care How Many Disasters We Face
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the new Council on Environmental Quality draft guidance on consideration of greenhouse gas emissions under the National Environmental Policy Act. "This administration has shown once again that it doesn't take the threat of climate change seriously. Today's draft guidance seeks to limit the federal government's role in assessing whether proposed projects and activities contribute to climate change. Luc… Continue Reading
06.19.19
Committee Passes Landmark Bills Blocking Unpopular Offshore Drilling, Guaranteeing Full Funding for Land and Water Conservation Fund
Washington, D.C. - At a just-concluded markup, the House Natural Resources Committee approved bills to block offshore drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and to provide the full $900 million annual authorized funding level for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Among other measures initially listed for consideration today, Ranking Member Rob Bishop's (R-Utah) H.R. 1225, a bill to cover the costs of public land agency maintenance needs that previou… Continue Reading
06.18.19
Chair Grijalva: Newly Reported Political Interference in Interior Department Responses to Freedom of Information Act “Dangerous, Calls for Oversight”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today released the following statement on this morning's report in Roll Call that senior political officials at the Department of the Interior are reviewing responses to Freedom of Information Act requests and in some cases directing staff not to include certain material. "The Interior Department under President Trump has treated information as a political weapon, regardless of what our laws require or what democracy demands of its lead… Continue Reading
06.12.19
Rep. Van Drew, Chair Grijalva, Bipartisan Congressional Coalition Introduce Legislation to Fully Fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Washington D.C. - Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-N.J.), Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and a bipartisan group of Congressional lawmakers and environmental leaders announced the introduction of The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Permanent Funding Act at a recently concluded press conference this morning at the U.S. Capitol. The bill fully funds LWCF at its authorized level of $900 million annually, which Congress routinely fails to do despite the program's broad bipartisan support and de… Continue Reading
06.05.19
Leading Democrats Urge Environmental Protections at Grand Canyon, Chaco Culture Historical Park as Trump Administration Considers More Extraction
Washington, D.C. - At today's recently concluded hearing on protecting Arizona and New Mexico from pollution by extractive industries, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) urged the House and Senate to pass his Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act (H.R. 1373), which sets a permanent moratorium on new mining claims on approximately 1 million acres north and south of Grand Canyon National Park. The bill is especially timely given the Department of Commerce's June 4 recommendations to further … Continue Reading
06.04.19
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Chair Grijalva, Dem Lawmakers, Tribal Leaders and Advocates Call for Grand Canyon Protections Ahead of Wednesday Hearing
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) spoke today alongside other leading Democratic lawmakers, Native American leaders, and Arizona conservationists and businesspeople on the need to pass the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, Grijalva's bill to establish a permanent moratorium on new mining claims around the Grand Canyon. The event comes a day before Wednesday's hearing on the bill at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time in the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public L… Continue Reading
06.04.19
Chair Grijalva: Interior Dept. Recommendations on Mining Deregulation, “Critical Mineral” Designations Set New Low in Industry Giveaways
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the newly released Department of the Interior recommendations on critical minerals and mining deregulation. "This administration has set shameful new records for industry giveaways, and this is one of the worst. Unchecked mining is already damaging inhabited areas around the Grand Canyon and other sites around the country, and we can expect much more severe impacts to public lands nationwide if these … Continue Reading