Press Releases
Grijalva Highlights Years of Unaccounted Costs to Taxpayers, Urges More Accurate CBO Scores for Federal Property Trades and Sales
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is calling on House and Senate Budget Committee leaders to direct the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to more accurately score the costs to taxpayers of federal land sales and trades. Bills offered in Congress that seek to conserve or protect public lands require a budgetary offset. If CBO scoring rules were changed as Grijalva is requesting, legislation to trade or give away public lands would require the same offset. They cu… Continue Reading
01.15.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Embraces Pause on Federal Coal Leasing
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the newly announced pause in federal coal leasing. "For far too long the federal coal program has been part of a war on common sense, a war on the American taxpayer's wallet, and a war on our planet. It is past time to fight back."… Continue Reading
01.14.16
Grijalva Highlights Slow GOP Legislative Pace and Oversight Gaps, Calls on Committee Republicans to Make 2016 More Productive
Washington, D.C. - As House Republicans head to their policy retreat, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) called on Chairman Rob Bishop to increase the pace of both legislative and oversight work in the second session of the 114th Congress. Grijalva released a Democratic vision for the Committee in 2016, highlighting the dozens of bills still languishing after months without a markup and serious gaps in the Republican majority's oversight agenda. U… Continue Reading
01.12.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Ahead of Tomorrow’s Clean Water Rule Debate on the House Floor: “This Is Not Serious Work Product”
Washington, D.C. - Tomorrow the House will debate a Republican resolution nullifying the Clean Water Rule proposed last year by the Obama administration, which is currently not in effect due to ongoing litigation. As a result of the ongoing delay, farmers and communities around the country continue to rely on the previously existing Clean Water Act guidance document - an outdated, confusing, and arbitrary regulatory process established by the Bush administration - which even the conservative Ame… Continue Reading
01.07.16
Pelosi-Hoyer-Grijalva Joint Statement on House Resolution Urging Militia Members to Surrender to Law Enforcement in Oregon
Washington, D.C. - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following joint statement today on Grijalva's resolution urging the armed militia members in Oregon to end their takeover of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and surrender peacefully to law enforcement officials. Pelosi and Hoyer cosponsored the resolution, formally designated H. Res. 575, along… Continue Reading
01.05.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Introducing Resolution Today Disapproving of Armed Refuge Takeover in Oregon – Seeking Hill Cosponsors
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will introduce a congressional resolution today shortly after 2:00 p.m. Eastern time condemning the illegal armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. The resolution calls on the group to leave the refuge and surrender to law enforcement immediately. The language of the resolution, which will not have a formal number until after introduction, is available at http://1.usa.gov/1OKvMqx. "This is not a romantic… Continue Reading
12.21.15
Grijalva Applauds ESA Listing of African Lion as Endangered - FWS Decision Mirrors Ranking Member’s September Recommendations
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today applauded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) decision to list two subspecies of African lion as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as Grijalva had recommended in a September letter to FWS Director Dan Ashe and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. "Today's decision will ensure that the United States stops contributing to the alarming decline of global lion populations and help … Continue Reading
12.16.15
Grijalva Highlights Missed Opportunities, Bad Oil Export Language in Year-End Funding Deal, Still Reviewing Other Major Provisions
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said Congress' just-released year-end funding deal is full of missed opportunities to improve federal environmental policy and should not have allowed permanent U.S. oil exports alongside a short-term extension of renewable energy tax credits. Grijalva is still reviewing the deal ahead of Friday's expected House vote. "The Forest Service is facing a desperate shortage of wildfire funding and California is in the midst of an unp… Continue Reading
12.13.15
Ranking Member Grijalva Hails Global Climate Agreement, Looks Forward to Stronger Future Standards
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) hailed today's announcement of the new global climate accord reached in Paris, calling it the most important step yet taken in the world effort to head off the damage climate change threatens to human life. "Today's agreement is more than a legislative or diplomatic milestone," Grijalva said. "I sincerely hope and believe that it's the beginning of a new phase in human history. I join the people of Southern Arizona in sharing m… Continue Reading
12.11.15
Ranking Member Grijalva Thanks Forest Service for Canceling Arizona Wild Horse Roundup, Pursuing More Collaborative Approach
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today welcomed the news that the U.S. Forest Service is withdrawing its proposal to round up and remove a wild horse herd near Tonto National Forest in central Arizona. Tonto Supervisor Neil Bosworth announced the decision after Grijalva and most other Arizona representatives sent him a letter last week urging a more collaborative approach to herd management. "Supervisor Bosworth has done the right thing, and I look forward to … Continue Reading
12.10.15
Grijalva’s Bill to Permanently Reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund Reaches 200 Bipartisan Cosponsors
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva's bill (H.R. 1814) to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) reached 200 bipartisan cosponsors today. LWCF is one of the nation's most successful public land conservation programs, but Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) allowed the Fund to expire for the first time in its 50-year history on September 30, 2015. Ranking Member Grijalva released the following statement on Chairman Bishop's refusal to hold a hearing on … Continue Reading
12.09.15
Hearing Wrap-Up: DOI’s Secretary Sally Jewell Testified on the Gold King Mine Spill in Colorado; GOP Fails to Address the Larger Problem of Abandoned Mines
Hearing Overview Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell testified at a full Committee hearing on the Department of the Interior's independent technical report on the August Gold King Mine spill. This is the second hearing House Natural Resources Republicans held this year on this issue, which they have spent berating and badgering witnesses while ignoring the larger problem of abandoned hardrock mine lands (AMLs) throughout the country. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) continues to refuse to hold… Continue Reading
12.08.15
Native American Leaders Highlight Unfairness of Republican Push to Overhaul Tribal Recognition Process, Reject Push for H.R. 3764
Washington, D.C. - Native American leaders today highlighted their opposition to the premise of this morning's Natural Resources Committee hearing on H.R. 3764, introduced by Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah), which would make federal recognition of tribes dependent solely on congressional approval rather than Interior Department expert analysis. The bill opens the door to congressional reconsideration of nearly 40 years of federal trust and treaty obligations and politicizes a process that has tradi… Continue Reading
12.07.15
Republicans Spend Entire Fisheries Hearing Ignoring Economic Impacts, Denying Climate Change and Rejecting Consumer Requests
Riverhead, N.Y. - Natural Resources Committee Republicans took their climate denial show on the road today for the benefit of freshman Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.). At a just-concluded field hearing in Zeldin's eastern Long Island district, Republicans and their invited witnesses criticized the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) efforts to promote ecosystem-based management and other precautionary management tools to ensure economically sustainable fisheries harvests in the fa… Continue Reading
12.02.15
Wrap-Up: Dec. 2 Hearing on the National Park Service Centennial Act Shows Need for Stronger Congressional Funding for NPS
Hearing Overview Today's Subcommittee on Federal Lands hearing featured a discussion draft of the National Park Service Centennial Act offered by Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah). Bishop's draft bill is modeled on the Obama Administration's proposal, which was introduced in September by Ranking Member Grijalva as H.R. 3556, and is designed to provide the National Park Service (NPS) with the funding and updated authority it needs to prepare for a second century. The discussion draft is similar to H… Continue Reading
12.02.15
Ranking Member Grijalva on House Energy Bill Up for Debate This Afternoon: “No Excuse for This Committee’s Meager Contributions”
Washington, D.C. - As world leaders gather in Paris to negotiate a global agreement on developing clean energy sources and preventing climate change, the Republican-led House of Representatives is preparing to vote later today on amendments to H.R. 8, a partisan energy bill that does nothing to address American reliance on fossil fuels or the climate damage done by carbon emissions. The bill includes only two small measures - passed on a party-line basis earlier this year - from the Natural Reso… Continue Reading
11.19.15
Ranking Member Grijalva Hails Analysis Showing $51 Million in Economic Benefits in Proposed Arizona National Monument Area
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today highlighted a newly published analysis of the significant economic benefits of a large swathe of public land in Northern Arizona he has proposed to protect as a new national monument. The analysis, conducted by BBC Research & Consulting on behalf of the Center for Western Priorities, shows that the land - to the north and south of Grand Canyon National Park - already generates approximately $51 million in economic activity each … Continue Reading
11.18.15
Hearing Wrap-up: Nov. 18 Hearing on Chairman Bishop’s Discussion Draft of a Bill to Change the Popular Land and Water Conservation Fund
Note: The original version of this press release said that Chairman Bishop "introduced" the PARC Act. There is currently only a discussion draft of the bill, and nothing has been introduced that would involve holding a vote. This version of the press release says Bishop has "drafted" the version of the PARC Act discussed at the hearing. Hearing Overview Today's Natural Resources Committee hearing focused on the Protecting America's Recreation and Conservation (PARC) Act, a bill drafted by Chai… Continue Reading
11.17.15
Ahead of LWCF Rewrite Hearing, Analysis Shows Millions of Dollars in Federal Conservation Benefits in Committee Members’ Districts
Washington, D.C. - Ahead of tomorrow's Natural Resources Committee hearing on Chairman Rob Bishop's (R-Utah) rewrite of the Land and Water Conservation Fund - which House Republicans allowed to expire on Sept. 30 for the first time in its 50-year history - a new analysis shows that many of the districts represented by Committee Democrats and Republicans enjoy millions of dollars in LWCF conservation benefits. The future of those benefits, and the possibility of extending them to new conservation… Continue Reading
11.17.15
House Republicans Continue to Stall on Efforts to Reauthorize LWCF, America’s Best Parks Program
After failing to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), our nation's most effective outdoor recreation and conservation grant program, Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) released a discussion draft of his bill to rewrite the 50-year-old program. On November 18, 2015, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the “Protecting America’s Recreation and Conservation (PARC) Act,” the Republican proposal to eviscerate the Fund and change its purpose. Click here to view a recap… Continue Reading