Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Indian and Insular Affairs
Chair Grijalva on Confirmation of Deb Haaland as Interior Secretary: “A Historic Step Toward Redeeming Our Nation’s Relationship With First Americans”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today released the following statement on the confirmation of Deb Haaland to be Secretary of the Interior. "The confirmation of Sec. Deb Haaland is a historic step toward redeeming our nation's relationship with first Americans. Sec. Haaland will bring to the Interior Department and the Biden administration a profound responsibility and commitment to climate change, equity, and public actions that all Americans will benefit from. Sec. H… Continue Reading
03.15.21
Chair Grijalva Introduces “Save Oak Flat Act” to Permanently Protect Tribal Sacred Site in Central Arizona From Destructive Mining
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced the Save Oak Flat Act to permanently protect the Oak Flat area of Tonto National Forest from destructive mining proposals. Oak Flat, or Chi'chil Bildagoteel, is of significant cultural importance and considered sacred by many tribal communities in Arizona, including the San Carlos Apache Tribe, which has resisted a years-long effort by Resolution Copper - owned by international mining conglomerates BHP and Rio Tinto - to… Continue Reading
03.02.21
Chair Grijalva Welcomes Introduction of Clean Future Act, Hails Inclusion of Environmental Justice Measures, Looks Forward to Upcoming Collaboration
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today welcomed the introduction of the Clean Future Act by Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill includes several environmental justice measures consistent with the approach outlined by Grijalva's and Rep. A. Donald McEachin's (D-Va.) Environmental Justice for All Act in the 116th Congress, including an effort to address the cumulative impacts of multiple pollution sources on environmental j… Continue Reading
03.01.21
Chair Grijalva, After Years of Highlighting Need for Tribal Consultation, Cheers Withdrawal of Key Federal Analysis for Exploitative Oak Flat Mining Project
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who has for many years highlighted the need for federal tribal consultation before moving forward with the Resolution Copper mining project in central Arizona, today hailed the news that the U.S. Forest Service is withdrawing its final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision issued on Jan. 15 and will conduct a thorough review before proceeding any further with the preparation of new analyses at the site. Grijal… Continue Reading
02.26.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Passage of Public Lands Bills, Looks Forward to Senate Action on Grand Canyon Protection Measure, Other Major Conservation Goals
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed passage of the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act, a package of Natural Resources Committee bills that includes Grijalva's Grand Canyon Protection Act; Rep. Joe Neguse's (D-Colo.) Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act; and a collection of bills introduced in the last Congress as a package by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) under the heading Protecting America's Wilderness Act. The Protecting America's W… Continue Reading
02.22.21
Chair Grijalva Leads Letter to Acting Sec. of Agriculture Urging Withdrawal of Flawed Analysis of Oak Flat Mining Project Rushed Out by Trump Admin
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a previously unannounced letter on Friday to acting Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Shea, signed by 21 House Democratic colleagues, urging the withdrawal of the U.S. Forest Service final environmental impact statement (FEIS) assessing the likely impacts of the proposed Resolution Copper mining project in central Arizona. The Trump administration rushed the document to publication on Jan. 15, just days before President Biden took offi… Continue Reading
01.29.21
Chair Grijalva Announces Naomi Miguel as Staff Director of Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, Ariana Romeo as Professional Staffer
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced the promotion of Naomi Miguel to staff director of the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States (SCIP) and Ariana Romeo to professional staffer at the Subcommittee. Miguel had been a professional staffer and Romeo had been a policy aide. Grijalva noted Miguel's central role in directing SCIP's policy work over the past two years, including her leadership in organizing oversight hearings on climate change … Continue Reading
01.26.21
Chair Grijalva Joins President Biden In Reaffirming Commitment to Tribal Sovereignty and Consultation, Calls for Further Action
Washington D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement supporting President Joe Biden's executive order signaling a renewed federal respect for tribal sovereignty, strengthening the government-to-government relationship between the federal government and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, furthering self-determination, and advancing racial justice for tribal communities. "The Trump administration's blatant disregard o… Continue Reading
12.21.20
Chair Grijalva Helps Secure Landmark Tribal Water Wins, Saguaro National Park Expansion, Renewable Energy, Insular Resources in End-of-Year Federal Funding Law
Washington D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today highlighted the inclusion of his Saguaro National Park Boundary Expansion Act, along with landmark tribal water priorities, renewable energy wins, and Insular provisions as part of the Fiscal Year 2021, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (H.R. 133) set to become law this week. H.R. 133 advances multiple tribal water rights settlements, including the largest water rights settlement in history be… Continue Reading
12.07.20
Chair Grijalva, Subcommittee Chairs Slam Rush to Lease Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain Before Biden Inauguration – Accelerated Timeline Violates BLM Rules
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, and Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, wrote to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt today seeking an explanation of how the Department of the Interior can move forward with a lease sale in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge when it would be cutting short a comment period and requir… Continue Reading
12.04.20
Chair Grijalva Applauds House Passage of a Dozen Natural Resources Bills
Washington D.C. - Today, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) applauded the House passage of 12 bills within the Committee’s jurisdiction. Bills passed on the House floor include legislation to protect big cats, reauthorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, and strengthen access to health care for Urban Native Veterans. “This Committee is working to provide real solutions to challenges facing communities across the nation,” … Continue Reading
10.26.20
Chair Grijalva Highlights New Report Documenting “Shameful” Trump Administration Data Breaches That Publicized Native American Tribal Finances
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today highlighted a new Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report documenting what he called "shameful" data breaches in federal agency handling of sensitive Native American governments' financial information. The breach occurred as part of the administration's larger failure to disburse Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funding to Tribes that could have prevented severe outbre… Continue Reading
10.05.20
Rep. Gallego, Chair Grijalva, Sen. Cantwell Lead Letter to Sec. Perdue Urging Pause or Reversal of Roadless Rule Exemption in Tongass Natl. Forest
Washington, D.C. - Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) led a bicameral letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today urging a pause or full reversal of the proposed exemption of Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which has protected tens of millions of acres of federal lands from overdevelopment and unwarranted logging since Jan. 12, 2001. On the House side, the letter - available online at… Continue Reading
09.30.20
Natural Resources Committee Advances Bills to Protect Boundary Waters From Mining, Remove Confederate Monuments, Protect Public Lands
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today led a Committee markup to advance 19 pieces of legislation, including key Natural Resources measures to protect federally recognized waters from dangerous mining, remove Confederate monuments from public lands, and support Indian Country. One bill provides federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Bill texts, amendments, amendments in the nature of a substitute, and vote counts can be found at the House of Represe… Continue Reading
09.24.20
Chair Grijalva Leads House, Senate Members in Sending Amicus Brief on Dakota Access Pipeline to Federal Court Ahead of Crucial Ruling on Tribal Rights
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today led the filing of an amicus curiae brief alongside House and Senate colleagues with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in a case filed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other Native American tribes against the Army Corps of Engineers over permits granted to build the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Among other issues, the brief - available at https://bit.ly/3i1w6Y0 - cites Congress' interest in "preser… Continue Reading
09.22.20
Chair Grijalva Applauds House Passage of Bills to Strengthen Indian Country, Combat Crisis of Murdered and Indigenous Women
Washington D.C. - Yesterday the House of Representatives passed six bipartisan Natural Resources Committee bills under suspension of the rules, including two bills to combat the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). Of those six, five have now been approved by both the House and Senate and are set to become law. "This Committee is working to strengthen Indian Country at every opportunity," said Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva. "Since the beginning of this Cong… Continue Reading
09.17.20
After Trump Admin Refuses to Testify, Chair Grijalva, Rep. Gallego Question Bureau of Indian Education’s Decision to Open Tribal Schools In Person
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), chair of the Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples of the United States, wrote to two key Trump administration officials today seeking more information about the Bureau of Indian Education's (BIE) attempt to open all BIE-operated schools for in-person classes on Sept. 16 regardless of each Tribe's preparedness or concerns about the decision. This letter comes after the administration declined an invitation … Continue Reading
08.17.20
Chair Grijalva: Trump Opening Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Drilling is What Happens When Rejecting Science, Being Destructive is the Whole Point
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today said the Trump administration's decision to open the entire Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to fossil fuel extraction is the inevitable consequence of empowering an administration for whom the principles of rejecting science and being destructive dictate national policy. He pointed to the House-passed bill protecting the Arctic Refuge, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has ignored. "Republicans talked a big game about l… Continue Reading
07.13.20
Chair Grijalva Statement on Washington Football Team Retiring Name: “Native Americans Have Faced Racism Since Before Our Country Was Founded”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on today's announcement that the Washington football team will retire its current name in favor of another to be announced later. "The campaign to end this form of racism has been going on for years, but the team owner and many of the people who have profited from it have insisted they'd never change. Today's announcement comes because those profits are drying up after years of tireless campaigning to en… Continue Reading
07.06.20
Chair Grijalva, Leader of Amicus Brief Calling for Dakota Access Pipeline Shutdown, Calls Recent Pipeline Closures “Sign of What Strong Scrutiny Can Do”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruling this morning that the Dakota Access Pipeline must be shut down and drained of oil by Aug. 5 and the announcement over the weekend that the owners of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline have abandoned construction of the unpopular project prove the importance and beneficial impact of public scrutiny of the fossil fuel industry. Grijalva's Environmental Justice for All Act (H.R. 5986… Continue Reading