Press Releases
Committee Leaders Urge FEMA to Extend Army Corps’ Mission in Puerto Rico Until All Electric Customers are Restored
Committee Leaders Urge FEMA to Extend Army Corps' Mission in Puerto Rico Until All Electric Customers are Restored Members Concerned that Electric Grid is too Fragile for Army Corps Departure as Power Failures Continue Washington, DC - Today, the top Democrats of four House Committees sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long requesting an extension of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) mission to restore power in Puerto Rico, which is current… Continue Reading
04.16.18
Dems Urge Republicans to Conduct Meaningful Oversight as Inspector General Finds Sec. Zinke Took Flight for Personal Reasons
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), ranking member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, said today that Republicans in Congress need to conduct more careful oversight of Trump administration officials in the wake of a Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General (OIG) report finding that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke spent taxpayer funds on a chartered flight for personal reasons unconnected to his official … Continue Reading
04.12.18
Grijalva Asks DOI to Disclose Political Appointee Vetting Procedures After Racist and Delusional Statements by Interior Officials
Washington, D.C. - In the wake of multiple high-ranking Department of the Interior (DOI) officials making racist, delusional or conspiratorial public statements on social media, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) wrote to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today requesting "a detailed description of the vetting process at DOI for acting and permanent political appointees, including any review of relevant qualifications, background, and ethical considerations." Grijalva's letter, availa… Continue Reading
04.12.18
Grijalva Calls for a Hearing on the Flawed and Poorly Documented DOI Reassignment Process
Washington, D.C. - In response to the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report finding that recent reassignments of senior, career officials at DOI were carried out, "without a written plan or clear criteria," and that appeared to punish employees that worked on climate change or conservation, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter to Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) today to request an oversight hearing to get more answers about the rea… Continue Reading
04.12.18
Grijalva Applauds the American People for Speaking Up and Opposing the NPS Fee Hike
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) praised the American people for making their voices heard and opposing the National Park Service (NPS) proposal to nearly double the entrance fees at 17 of our most popular national parks. More than 100,000 people submitted public comments opposing the fee hike and as a result, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke pulled back his original proposal and announced today that NPS is only increasing the ent… Continue Reading
04.11.18
Democrats Debunk Trump’s Claims that the Environmental Review Process Stands in the Way of the Republican Infrastructure Plan
Washington, D.C. - More than a dozen of the Trump administration's agencies - including the Department of the Interior - signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Monday pledging to streamline the environmental review process for major infrastructure projects. Following the announcement, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) pointed out that the infrastructure examples Trump picked for his fact sheet don't support his case for slashing the environmental review process. Democratic St… Continue Reading
04.05.18
Cantwell-Requested GAO Report Recommends Ending The Risky Practice Of Self-Bonding
Washington, D.C. - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report regarding the management of financial assurances for coal mine reclamation. The report requested by Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep. Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Senator Durbin (D-Ill.), Rep. Cartwright (D-Pa.), and Rep. Dingell (D-Mich.) recommends … Continue Reading
03.29.18
Democrats Demand a Hearing on Secretary Zinke’s Inconsistent Statements on Offshore Drilling Plan
Washington, D.C. - In response to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's contradictory statements on the development of the offshore oil and gas leasing program, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee Ranking Member Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) and Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) sent a letter to Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) today requesting a full committee hearing … Continue Reading
03.26.18
Grijalva Calls Out Weak Offshore Lease Sale, Asks Interior to Keep Royalty Rates Stable
Washington, D.C. - Due to the underwhelming response by the oil and gas industry to the recent Department of the Interior (DOI) Gulf of Mexico offshore oil and gas lease sale, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today to call him out for pushing forward energy policies that are harmful to the environment and economy. Grijalva is requesting additional information on DOI budget priorities and is asking that the recent weak lease sales not… Continue Reading
03.20.18
House Republicans Shared a “News Story” on Twitter From a Widely Debunked Nutrition Supplement Website
Washington, D.C. - The official Committee Republican Twitter account shared an article today from a right-wing pseudoscience site - Natural News - that falsely claims that Massachusetts was forced to purchase natural gas from Russia earlier this winter because the state was "so short of energy" after unnamed "Massachusetts officials" supposedly blocked public financing for the $3 billion Access Northeast natural gas pipeline. The publications founder, Mike Adams, who calls himself the "Health Ra… Continue Reading
03.15.18
Secretary Zinke Testified Falsely Today – Said Letter to Chairman Bishop Responded to Rep. Barragan’s Ethics Concerns
Washington, D.C. - Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today falsely claimed, during a public Committee hearing on the Interior Department's fiscal year 2019 budget proposal, that he had already responded to Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán's (D-Calif.) and Rep. Don Beyer's (D-Va.) Oct. 5, 2017, letter requesting information about his taxpayer-funded travel. The letter Zinke held up during the hearing, which he claimed was sent to "the ranking member" and Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) on Oct. 31, 2017… Continue Reading
03.13.18
55 Dems Say the Trump Administration’s Decision to Issue Trophy Imports on a Case-by-Case Basis Caters to the Demands of Big Industry and the NRA
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and 53 House Democrats sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today on the Trump administration's recent announcement that the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will now consider all permits for importing elephant and lion carcasses into the country on a case-by-case basis. This move will allow more trophy imports into the United S… Continue Reading
03.07.18
As Zinke Stumbles Continue, Top Committee Democrats Request Investigation of Potential Campaign Law Violations
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, sent a letter today to Special Counsel Henry Kerner, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), requesting an investigation of whether Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits electioneering by federal officials at taxpayer expense, when he recently traveled to rural Pennsylvania to announce $… Continue Reading
03.01.18
Latest Failed GOP Congressional Effort to Smear Environmental Groups Cites No Evidence, Relies on Recycled and Unsupported Claims
Washington, D.C. - Today's House Science Committee Republican staff report claiming to show evidence of Russian funding for U.S. environmental groups cites no actual evidence, relies on recycled Republican conspiracy theories and bases its entire case on a letter its own Chairman, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), sent last year making similarly outlandish claims. The report is part of a larger campaign designed by notorious public relations mogul Richard Berman, who was taped in 2014 urging the oil i… Continue Reading
02.28.18
Leading Dems Urge Funding for Interior Department IG – Demands for Investigations Go Unmet for Lack of Resources
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), ranking member on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, sent a letter to top House appropriators today urging full funding for the Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General (OIG), which has referred requests for investigations back to DOI in recent years because of staffing and funding shortfalls. The letter, available at http://bit.ly/2GR9ozY, points out that even as… Continue Reading
02.27.18
Ranking Members Grijalva, Cantwell Press Zinke on DOI Committee’s Recommended Cut to Offshore Drilling Royalties
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Senate Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke today pressing him for information on the Department of the Interior (DOI) Royalty Policy Committee's decision-making process in light of Wednesday's likely Committee vote to recommend cutting offshore royalties from 18.75 percent to 12.5 percent, a move that would represent a significant windfall to oi… Continue Reading
02.16.18
Grijalva Questions Interior Department’s Ignorance as Questions Mount on Utah National Monument Foe’s Conflicts of Interest
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke this morning questioning whether the Department of the Interior (DOI) was aware of Utah State Rep. Mike Noel's (R) significant conflicts of interest in touting President Trump's shrinking last year of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. As the Salt Lake Tribune reported earlier this week, Noel - a leading figure in pushing Trump's move and a vocal opponent of federal land … Continue Reading
02.14.18
Ahead of Tomorrow’s Hearing on Managing Federal Lands Along the Border, Grijalva & McEachin Call Out Republicans for Depriving Border Communities of Their Basic Rights
Washington, D.C. - Ahead of tomorrow's 10 a.m. hearing on Republican calls to further degrade environmental protections along the U.S. border with Mexico, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Donald McEachin (D-Va.), are criticizing Congressional Republicans for their efforts to deprive border communities of basic rights in the guise of increasing border security. Republicans are proposing … Continue Reading
02.14.18
As Trump Fails to Invest in Infrastructure, GOP Ignores Drinking Water Needs at Today's Hearing
Washington, D.C. - As President Trump continues to tout his much-criticized infrastructure "plan" - which invests almost nothing in badly needed infrastructure and demands imaginary state and local funding for projects - Republicans at today's Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee continued to ignore the many American communities lacking clean drinking water because of deficient or nonexistent water infrastructure. Instead, Republicans focuses their demands on more water specifically for select f… Continue Reading
02.13.18
Grijalva Blasts Proposed Repeal of Pro-Taxpayer, Pro-Health, and Pro-Environment Methane Waste Rule
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) blasted Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke for the announcement late yesterday that the Bureau of Land Management is gutting an Obama-era rule that requires oil and gas companies operating on federal lands to reduce wasteful methane emissions from drilling. The administration's proposed elimination of the methane rule puts the environment, economy, and public health at risk by making it easier for big corporate polluters to di… Continue Reading