Press Releases
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
01.07.20
Chair Grijalva Rejects Bernhardt Offer to “Discuss” BLM Relocation, Presses Standing Demand for Cost-Benefit Analysis and Other Documents
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt reiterating the Committee's long-standing demand for the Trump administration's cost-benefit analysis and other documents related to the decision to move Bureau of Land Management (BLM) headquarters staff to Grand Junction, Colo. Grijalva's letter is a response to a Dec. 31, 2019, letter from Bernhardt, in which he claims without any justification that "the Department can conclude… Continue Reading
12.20.19
Chair Grijalva Releases Natural Resources Climate Action Report, Highlights Top Accomplishments of 2019
Washington D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee spent 2019 tackling climate change from every angle. Today, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released his Climate Action Report detailing the work done by the Committee to combat the climate crisis, including holding 22 hearings on the topic, since taking the majority of the U.S. House of Representatives in January. The Climate Action Report can be viewed at http://bit.ly/2sR8aTG. The release of this r… Continue Reading
12.17.19
Chair Grijalva, Committee Leaders Introduce Landmark Climate Change Legislation Slashing Emissions From Public Lands and Waters
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and leaders from the Natural Resources Committee released their flagship legislation to fight the climate crisis at a press conference on Capitol Hill this morning. Original cosponsors and supporters from the advocacy community hailed the introduction of H.R. 5435, the American Public Lands and Waters Climate Solution Act, which directs the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) to achieve net-zero gr… Continue Reading
12.16.19
Chair Grijalva Asks Sec. Bernhardt for Data on Staff Losses Due to Forced Bureau of Land Management Transfers, Expected Exodus of Senior Employees
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt today requesting a full analysis of the staffing consequences of Bernhardt's forced transfer of D.C.-based Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employees to locations across the West. The forced move, which has been widely criticized as poorly planned and incompetently executed, is likely to result in approximately 80 percent of affected employees leaving the agency. In today's letter, available at… Continue Reading
12.10.19
Chair Grijalva Hails House Passage of Bipartisan Coastal Resilience Package That Fights Climate Change, Helps Communities Prepare
Washington D.C. - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved a package of bills originally heard in the Natural Resources Committee to protect vulnerable coastal and Great Lakes communities impacted by the climate crisis. Rep. Derek Kilmer's (D-Wash.) Coastal and Great Lakes Communities Enhancement Act (H.R. 729) is a package of 10 bipartisan coastal resilience bills that aid coastal ecosystems and economies, improve ocean monitoring and research, and offer coastal managers tools to protec… Continue Reading
12.10.19
Chair Grijalva, Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Write to House and Senate Interior Appropriators Urging Clarity, Funding Limits on BLM Horse Program
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers today wrote to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate appropriations panels with oversight of the Department of the Interior (DOI) to urge funding limits and additional clarity on a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pilot program to manage wild horse populations in the West. The letter, available at http://bit.ly/2RDM29C, is directed to Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Tom Udall (D-N… Continue Reading
12.10.19
TIME CHANGE: Chair Grijalva, Rep. Haaland, Former BLM Administration Officials to Speak at Wednesday Press Conference on Forced Transfer of D.C.-Based Employees
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, will lead a press conference at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday morning at the U.S. Capitol to discuss the Trump administration's forced move of hundreds of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employees to Grand Junction, Colo., and elsewhere across the West. Former BLM Director Bob Abbey and former BLM Deputy Director Henri B… Continue Reading
12.10.19
POSTPONED: Chair Grijalva Press Conference Scheduled for Today at 12:00 p.m.
Washington D.C. - 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
12.05.19
Natural Resources Committee Advances Bills to Protect Native Women, Children and Families, Designate Wilderness, and Recover Wildlife
Washington D.C. - Today Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led a Committee markup to advance key Natural Resources priorities, including bills to protect Native women, children and families from violence. Among other measures, the Committee approved H.R. 3977, sponsored by Committee Vice Chair Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), which expands the jurisdiction of tribal courts to prosecute non-Native perpetrators who commit crimes of sexual violence on tribal lands, and H.R. 4957, sponsored by Subco… Continue Reading
12.04.19
New Letter: Chair Grijalva Warns Bernhardt of Potential Liability on Forced BLM Staff Move Without Disparate Impact Analysis – Reiterates Doc Requests
Washington, D.C. - In a new letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt this morning, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) warns of potential legal liability for the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) stemming from BLM's forced move of employees based in Washington, D.C., to Grand Junction, Colo., and elsewhere throughout the West. Without analyzing the forced move's potential impacts on BLM staff diversity, Grijalva writes, the Trump administration is o… Continue Reading
11.21.19
Chair Grijalva, Reps. Velázquez and Soto Respond to Puerto Rico Fiscal Board Filing That Seeks to Block Lawmakers’ PREPA Amicus Brief
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Small Business Committee Chair Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) responded yesterday to a filing by the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority that sought to block consideration of the amicus brief the trio of lawmakers filed last month. A federal judge is expected to rule as soon as this week on wh… Continue Reading
11.21.19
Natural Resources Committee Advances Legislation To Protect Wilderness, Fight Climate Change
Washington D.C. - Today Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led a Committee markup to advance key Natural Resources priorities, including four bills that protect 1.3 million acres of wilderness in California and Colorado. The bills' passage is the most recent step in the Committee's ongoing efforts to protect public lands, promote access for all Americans and combat the climate crisis. Following the markup, Natural Resources Democrats released the first edition of their new Climate Solution… Continue Reading
11.20.19
House Passes Collection of Bipartisan Conservation Bills, Including Ban on Trade in Shark Fins, Extension of Wetlands Conservation Program
Washington, D.C. - The House of Representatives today passed a collection of bipartisan conservation measures, including the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, a bill from Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-CNMI) making it illegal to possess, buy, or sell shark fins or any product containing shark fins. The North American Wetlands Conservation Extension Act from Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) reauthorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation Act - which provides matching grants to wetlands conservation pr… Continue Reading