Press Releases
Grijalva, Dingell, Cartwright: New Guidance Brings Outdated Coal Industry Self-Bonding Standards Closer to Extinction
Washington, D.C. - Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) today hailed the recently announced guidance from the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) to state environmental agencies urging strict reviews and new limits on the use of so-called self-bonding, which allows coal companies to put taxpayers at risk for the cost of mine cleanups. The guidance follows many of the recommendations put forth in… Continue Reading
08.03.16
Grijalva Urges Support for New Rule Protecting Alaska Species From Unnecessary Cruelty – Standard is Major GOP Target
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today applauded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) release of a new rule prohibiting several unnecessarily cruel killing methods on 76 million acres of wildlife refuge land across the state of Alaska. The new rule is a major target of Republican lawmakers, who have already tried multiple times to prevent it from going into effect. The rule prohibits hunters from using artificial lights to lure black bears from their dens; trapping … Continue Reading
07.21.16
GAO Rejects Republican Claims on Natural Gas, Says Taxpayers Losing Potential Revenue Due to Outdated Rules on Federal Land
Washington, D.C. - A newly released report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlights the urgent need for new natural gas regulations to minimize methane loss and ensure taxpayers receive their fair share for the production of natural gas on federal lands. The report, Interior Could Do More to Account for and Manage Natural Gas Emissions, makes multiple recommendations and concludes that the Department of the Interior "does not have the information it needs to reasonably ensure it … Continue Reading
07.12.16
Grijalva: GOP Singling Out Native American Tribes, Won’t Allow Inclusion of Tribal Legislative Language in Interior Spending Bill
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today highlighted Republican leaders' decision to single out Native American communities in the Interior Department funding bill set for debate this week. The rule governing the bill's debate and legislative parameters permits the inclusion of non-appropriations authorization language - which is normally forbidden by House rules - with the sole exception of language addressing a dispute over land taken into trust by the federal government… Continue Reading
07.08.16
Grijalva Urges House Rules Leaders to Protect Fix for Native American Tribes in Interior Appropriations Bill, Reject GOP Challenge
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today sent a letter to House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) urging them to reject an effort by Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) to remove language in the pending Interior Department appropriations bill that protects Native American lands taken into trust by the federal government. Bishop recently told Sessions and Slaughter that because he is working on a bill addressing the issue… Continue Reading
07.07.16
GAO: Taxpayers Heavily Subsidizing Ranching on Public Lands, Environmental Damage Unclear Due to Poor Recordkeeping
Washington, D.C. - A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today in response to a request by Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva reveals the extent of federal ranching subsidies on public land and highlights major data gaps in tracking unauthorized public lands grazing. The report, entitled Unauthorized Grazing: Actions Needed to Improve Tracking and Deterrence Efforts, offers a detailed look at permitted and unpermitted grazing on the approximately 440 million acres of publi… Continue Reading
06.29.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Praises Expected Senate Passage of Puerto Rico Relief Bill, Highlights No Special Treatment for Hedge Funds
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today praised the Senate's expected passage later this evening of the bipartisan Puerto Rico relief bill, which cleared a key procedural hurdle this afternoon and will likely be signed by the president before Puerto Rico defaults on July 1. Grijalva pointed in particular to the fact that, contrary to the demands of certain hedge funds and institutional investors, the law will not give preferential treatment to institutional creditors. Un… Continue Reading
06.24.16
Grijalva Applauds President Obama’s Designation of Stonewall Uprising to Honor LGBT Equality
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement today applauding President Obama for designating a new national monument at the historic site of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City to honor the broad movement for LGBT equality. "One of President Obama's greatest achievements has been his continued dedication to fight to protect our public lands and historical sites that have helped write our nation's hist… Continue Reading
06.22.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Introduces Bill Creating Great Bend of the Gila National Monument to Protect Arizona Tribal History
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today introduced the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Act to designate a national monument on approximately 85,000 acres of federal land in Southern Arizona. The area identified by the bill includes a heavy concentration of cultural and historical resources, including many sites considered sacred to local Native American tribes. Archaeological remains, including petroglyphs and rock art, of Hohokam, Patayan, and Mimbres communiti… Continue Reading
06.21.16
Grijalva, Lowenthal Urge Dept. of Interior to Take Action to Protect Taxpayers and Environment from Big Coal Companies
Washington, D.C. - Forty-eight House Democrats - led by House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee Ranking Member Alan S. Lowenthal (D-Calif.) - sent a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell today to thank her for reviewing the Interior Department's broken coal leasing program and to highlight issues that still need to be addressed, including an accurate accounting of the program's climate and environmental … Continue Reading
06.13.16
New Analysis: Wildlife Trophy Hunting Often Doesn’t Bring Species Conservation Benefits Claimed by Promoters
Washington, D.C. - Original analysis published today by the House Natural Resources Committee Democratic staff shows that despite the claims of wildlife trophy hunting promoters, there is little evidence to show that the practice has benefited hunted species' survival in several African countries. The findings have major implications for endangered species protection and come a few days before the July 1 one-year anniversary of the killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe by American dentist Walter… Continue Reading
06.10.16
Media Advisory: Grijalva, Thompson to Hold Forum on the Dangers of Extremism on Public Lands
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) will hold a joint forum on the dangers of extremism on public lands on Wednesday, June 15 at 1:00 p.m. on Capitol Hill. Recent analyses have shown that attacks on federal land management officials and events like the armed takeover of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge are become increasingly common. Grijalva, Thompson an… Continue Reading
06.09.16
House Passes the PROMESA Act with Bipartisan Support
Washington, D.C. - The PROMESA Act (H.R. 5278), the bill aimed to help Puerto Rico restructure its debt and tackle the fiscal crisis, passed on the House Floor today with bipartisan support. "I'm relieved the PROMESA Act passed with bipartisan support, but I've been clear throughout this process that this is not the bill I or Democrats would have written," Grijalva said. "The legislation was a compromise, a bipartisan effort, aimed to provide the 3.5 million American citizens living in Puerto R… Continue Reading
06.07.16
Grijalva Warns of Legal Setbacks if Fish and Wildlife Service Prematurely Ends Protection for Threatened Yellowstone Grizzly Bears
Note: This press release's headline initially identified Yellowstone grizzlies as endangered. They are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. This online version has been updated to correct the error. Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dan Ashe cautioning against a rush to lift Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for grizzly bears in an area known as the Greater Yellowsto… Continue Reading
06.06.16
Grijalva Urges Agencies to Block Further Florida Coral Reef Damage as Recent Reports Show Considerable Endangered Species Risks
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Assistant Administrator Eileen Sobeck urging them to prevent further Army Corps of Engineers destruction of threatened corals in South Florida. The letter comes in the wake of confirmed reports that the Army Corps and its contractors repeatedly violated the Endangered Speci… Continue Reading
06.02.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Hails Tougher Ivory Trafficking Standard – House Republicans Trying to Overturn It Despite Public Opinion
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today hailed the newly announced U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rule prohibiting most forms of domestic commercial ivory trading. The rule is the finalization of a July 2015 administration proposed rule under the Endangered Species Act. The regulation, which received more than 1.3 million public comments during the drafting process, according to FWS - most of them overwhelmingly positive - will go into effect in 30 days unless a pe… Continue Reading
05.25.16
PROMESA Act Advances to the House Floor
Washington, D.C. - The PROMESA Act (H.R. 5278), the bill aimed to address Puerto Rico's debt crisis, passed in the House Natural Resources Committee today with bipartisan support. Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) voted in favor of the bill, but was clear in his opening statement yesterday that this is not the bill he would have drafted. "The Puerto Rico bill is flawed, but after months of working with Republicans and the Administration, I realized that compromise was necessary t… Continue Reading
05.24.16
Ranking Member Grijalva's Opening Statement on the PROMESA Act to Help Puerto Rico
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) delivered the following opening statement this evening at the House Natural Resources Committee markup of the bipartisan bill that addresses the debt crisis in Puerto Rico, the PROMESA Act (H.R. 5278): “The flag of the United States has flown over Puerto Rico for more than a century. “Those born on the island are American citizens, and more than 200,000 have served in the United Sates military and their nation, including roughly 10… Continue Reading
05.20.16
Grijalva Celebrates Endangered Species Day by Telling GOP to Stop Attacks on Imperiled Wildlife
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement recognizing today as the 11th annual Endangered Species Day: "The Endangered Species Act is one of our most powerful, successful, and popular conservation laws. It has prevented the extinction of nearly every species that has received its protections. Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans insist on continuing their crusade to drive the extinction of American wi… Continue Reading
05.19.16
After Months of Urging, Dingell, Grijalva and Cartwright Hail Office of Surface Mining Revisiting of Anti-Taxpayer Coal Bonding Rules
Washington, D.C. - After months of urging, Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) - the ranking members of the House Natural Resources Committee and the committee's oversight panel, respectively - and Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.) hailed the newly announced Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) decision to reconsider "self-bonding" rules that allow coal companies with weak balance sheets to transfer millions of dollars in cleanup costs to taxpa… Continue Reading