Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Federal Lands
Chair Grijalva, Vice Chair Haaland Push for Explanation of Park Police Walling Off President’s Park, Historic Site of Decades of Civil Rights Activism
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Vice Chair Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) wrote to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt today pushing for an explanation of why U.S. Park Police have walled off public access to President's Park, a normally open area across the street from the White House that is managed by the National Park Service (NPS). Among other questions, the lawmakers ask Bernhardt what credible threat the closure is based on, and whether White House perimeter security … Continue Reading
06.03.20
Nadler, Grijalva, Smith and Thompson Call for Answers on Trump Administration's Use of Force Against Peaceful DC Protestors
Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.), and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) sent a letter today seeking answers on the Trump Administration's use of tear gas, pepper spray, smoke canisters, stun grenades, and rubber bullets to forcibly remove peaceful protesters gathered in Lafayette Square. The lette… Continue Reading
05.01.20
Chair Grijalva to Trump, Sec. Bernhardt: May 3 Campaign-Style Event at Lincoln Memorial is Inappropriate, Needs to be Canceled
Note: The original version of this press release incorrectly stated the president's event was scheduled for May 15. It is scheduled for May 3. The correction has been made to the online version of this release. Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote to President Trump and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt today urging them to cancel the president's inappropriate campaign-style rally scheduled for May 3 at the Lincoln Memorial, which is supposedly closed for events thr… Continue Reading
04.01.20
Chair Grijalva: Trump Admin Has No Explanation for Waiting Several Days to Close Grand Canyon National Park After Explicit Call From Health Officials
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva today said the timeline of the Interior Department's recently announced decision to close Grand Canyon National Park to visitors - several days after a case of COVID-19 was reported near the park and five days after local health officials first pleaded for the park's closure - makes no sense and raises new questions about the Trump administration's priorities. The closure announcement, according to a press release from Interior Department spokesw… Continue Reading
03.31.20
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Haaland Lead Letter to Interior Secretary Urging Closure of Grand Canyon, Other Parks and Public Lands at Risk of Coronavirus Spread
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Vice Chair Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) sent a letter today with eight House Democratic colleagues to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt urging him to close Grand Canyon National Park and other national parks and public lands at risk of spreading coronavirus due to continued crowding and high visitation levels. The National Park Service and the Department of the Interior have left parts of Grand Canyon National Park open to visitors despite … Continue Reading
03.27.20
Chair Grijalva: National Park Service Must Close Grand Canyon National Park Immediately, Interior Dept. Must Act to Prioritize Public Health
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today released the following statement on reports that National Park Service officials have blocked urgent requests from the acting superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park and from tribes around Northern Arizona to close the park until further notice. Grijalva called on Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on March 20 to "prioritize the health and safety of visitors to national parks and public lands during this crisis" - a step … Continue Reading
03.27.20
Chair Grijalva Hails Coronavirus Relief Package – Highlights Financial Assistance for Indian Country and U.S. Territories, Urges More Support in Future Bills
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today said the passage of the CARES Act is a good step forward in the federal government's ongoing effort to build up health care capacity in historically underserved and at-risk communities, including Native American tribes and U.S. territories, and urged his colleagues to include further financial and logistical support for hard-hit communities in upcoming legislation. Grijalva has been a leading voice in Congress since the beginning o… Continue Reading
03.20.20
Chair Grijalva, Natural Resources Committee Launch New Coronavirus Resource Center, Seek Impact Information from Indian Country
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and the majority staff of the House Natural Resources Committee are seeking information from Native American communities impacted by coronavirus on the level of governmental response they've seen, the status of their health and social safety needs, and how Congress and other agencies can better serve them during the pandemic. The Committee has set up an online form available at https://bit.ly/2IZFWur and is now welcoming input from tribe… Continue Reading
03.20.20
Chair Grijalva Statement on Interior Secretary Bernhardt Encouraging Public Lands Visits During Coronavirus Pandemic
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement today on Interior Secretary David Bernhardt's recent message to the American people encouraging visits to public lands during the coronavirus pandemic. "While I understand the appeal of outdoor recreation during a difficult time, Interior Secretary Bernhardt needs to prioritize the health and safety of visitors to national parks and public lands during this crisis. The Trump administration must establish… Continue Reading
03.06.20
GAO Contradicts Trump Admin on Forced BLM Move – Finds Interior Officials Failed to Follow Basic Practices, Resulting in Damaging Staff Attrition
Washington, D.C. - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released a highly anticipated report finding that the Trump administration's attempt to move Washington, D.C.-based Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employees to Grand Junction, Colo., and elsewhere across the West failed to follow a number of widely accepted best practices for agency reform and has already resulted in a damaging level of staff attrition. Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said the findings confirm widesprea… Continue Reading
03.02.20
Grijalva Says “Maintaining Status Quo Isn’t Enough” as Center for American Progress Releases Report on House Dem Conservation Successes
Washington D.C. - The Center for American Progress (CAP) released a new report today highlighting the efforts of House Democrats "to reverse a decade of legislative obstruction and stagnation in U.S. land, water, and wildlife conservation." The report contrasts the actions taken by the Democratic majority in the 116th Congress with the efforts by Republicans in previous Congresses, underscoring the many ways in which Democrats prioritize natural resource conservation for the benefit of the Ameri… 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
02.06.20
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
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
12.17.19
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