Press Releases
New GOP Bill Would Strip Federal Land Management Agencies of Law Enforcement Authority
Washington, D.C. - Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) issued the following statement after today's Subcommittee hearing on Department of Interior law enforcement. "Today's hearing is supposed to be about a legitimate oversight question regarding law enforcement issues at the Department of the Interior, but I have to raise my grave concerns about legislation regarding federal law enforcement recently introduced by my colleagues on the other side of … Continue Reading
03.16.16
House Republicans Reject Efforts to Support Funding for Natl. Park Service Centennial Act
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) expressed disappointment with House Republicans' unwillingness to compromise during today's House Natural Resources Committee markup on Chairman Rob Bishop's (R-Utah) National Park Service (NPS) Centennial Act, a bill that would allow the Service to celebrate its 100th anniversary. House Republicans rejected two Democratic amendments, introduced by Grijalva and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), that would have provided the needed… Continue Reading
03.15.16
Grijalva Applauds President Obama for Protecting the Atlantic from Unsafe Drilling
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement applauding the Obama Administration for removing the Atlantic Ocean from the proposed 2017-2022 offshore oil and gas drilling program. The previous version of the program included leasing federal waters to oil and gas companies off the coasts of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. "I applaud the Obama Administration for sharing the American people's … Continue Reading
03.11.16
Grijalva to EPA: Keep Nuclear Waste out of our National Parks
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter this morning to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy urging her to take immediate action to stop the flow of radioactive water from the Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station into Biscayne National Park. The National Park Service and local officials in South Florida identified the Turkey Point cooling water canal system at as an environmental hazard and… Continue Reading
03.07.16
Natural Resources Dems Request Full Funding of LWCF in FY2017 Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - In the midst of a tumultuous budget and appropriations process, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and all 17 Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee sent a joint letter the Appropriations Committee today to urge full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in the FY2017 Interior and Environment appropriations bill. Despite there being bipartisan support for permanent reauthorization of the Program, Republicans on the Committee declined to sig… Continue Reading
03.04.16
Grijalva Urges State Department to Protect Human Rights, Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice Activists
Tucson, Ariz. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry today urging him to work with national governments and the international community to investigate and prosecute those perpetrating violence against human rights, indigenous rights and environmental justice activists. The letter comes as the world mourns the tragic and senseless murder of Berta Cáceres, a highly influential Honduran indigenous and environmental rights leader… Continue Reading
03.01.16
Ahead of DOI Budget Hearing, Grijalva Calls Out House Republicans for Their Inability to Introduce a FY17 Budget of Their Own
As House Republicans continue to delay the unveiling of the FY 2017 budget, the Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing this morning on the Department of the Interior's (DOI) proposed budget. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell will testify before the Committee on a budget that would restore our national parks, respond to the impacts of climate change on coastal communities, invest in clean energy on federal lands, and help protect sacred Native American sites from land grabs. While House … Continue Reading
02.25.16
Hearing Wrap-up: House Dems Eager to Start Discussions on how to Tackle Puerto Rico’s Debt Crisis
Hearing Overview The hearing on Puerto Rico today featured a sole witness from the U.S. Treasury Department to present the Obama Administration's assessment of the U.S. territory's debt crisis, as well as their recommendation for a comprehensive legislative package to assist the island in avoiding what could become a humanitarian crisis. Witness Antonio F. Weiss, U.S. Department of Treasury Counselor to the Secretary Key Takeaways House Democrats are prepared to start immediate discus… Continue Reading
02.24.16
Hearing Wrap-up: GOP Flip-Flops on its Support for Bipartisan Conservation Program
Witnesses Christy Goldfuss, Managing Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Michael Bean, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior Brian Ferebee, Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System, U.S. Forest Service Hearing Overview If a developer wanted to build a home in endangered species habitat in the early 1970s, they may not have been able to get a permit to build. Today, they would be more likely … Continue Reading
02.24.16
Hearing Wrap-up: House Republicans Use California Drought as Excuse to Gut the Endangered Species Act
Witnesses Mr. Richard Pool, President and Owner of Pro-Troll Fishing Products, Concord, California Mr. David Murillo, Mid-Pacific Regional Director of the Bureau of Reclamation, Washington, DC The Honorable Brett Barbre, Director of the Municipal Water District of Orange County, Yorba Linda, California Mr. Thad Bettner, General Manager of the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, Willows, California Mr. Tom Birmingham, General Manager/General Counsel of the Westlands Water District, Fresno, C… Continue Reading
02.24.16
House Democrats Call on House Republicans to Begin Bipartisan Negotiations on Puerto Rico
Washington, D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee is holding its third hearing on Puerto Rico's financial and economic crisis tomorrow. A representative from the U.S. Treasury Department will testify and present the Obama Administration's assessment of the Commonwealth's debt crisis. Democrats are calling for the Committee to begin bipartisan negotiations and draft a legislation that outlines a responsible solution to Puerto Rico's crisis by March 31st, the deadline set by House Speaker P… Continue Reading
02.17.16
Grijalva Questions GOP Refusal to Vote On or Debate Newly Issued Recess Subpoenas of Army Corps Gold King Mine Spill Analysis
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today questioned the timing and manner of the Republican majority's newly announced subpoenas seeking federal documents on the Gold King Mine spill. The subpoenas, which Republicans took the unusual step of issuing during a recess week so as to avoid Committee hearings or public debate, target the Army Corps of Engineers and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, demanding to see the Corps' peer review of DOI's analysis of last year's mine spil… Continue Reading
02.17.16
New Poll Reveals Arizona Voters Strongly Support the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is participating in a media call on Thursday afternoon to discuss a new public survey showing strong support from Arizona residents for the creation of a new national monument to protect the Grand Canyon watershed and honor the region's rich Native American history and culture. Grijalva will be joined by the Grand Canyon-Associated Tribes and other supporters of the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument Act, a landmark… Continue Reading
02.12.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Hails Newly Announced National Monuments, Highlights Previous GOP Dismissals of Native American Heritage Value
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today applauded President Obama for designating three new national monuments in California to protect Native American artifacts and historical sites and to enhance the region's climate resiliency. The sites - Mojave Trails National Monument, Sand to Snow National Monument and Castle Mountains National Monument - each contain important links to tribal culture and history and will protect vital natural resources. In praising the … Continue Reading
02.09.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Lauds Administration Budget Proposal To Clean Up Abandoned Hardrock Mines, Urges Republican Action
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised President Obama's newly released budget proposal to establish a dedicated funding source to clean up the estimated 500,000 abandoned hardrock mines posing environmental and safety hazards to communities around the country. The plan is similar to Grijalva's Hardrock Mine Reform and Reclamation Act (H.R. 963), which modernizes hardrock mining on public lands. Both proposals offer a viable path forward for thousands … Continue Reading
02.08.16
Grijalva, Lowenthal, Tsongas Lead Letter Praising Proposed Interior Department Oil and Gas Rule, Asking for Quick Finalization
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and 56 fellow Members of Congress sent a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell today commending her on the Department of the Interior's (DOI's) newly proposed rules for overseeing oil and gas operations on National Park Service (NPS) and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) lands and asking the Department to finalize them as soon as possible. The letter - led by Reps. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) and Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.), the ran… Continue Reading
02.05.16
Ahead of March 1 DOI Budget Hearing, Expert Panel Next Wednesday Will Debunk Myths on Endangered Species Act Regulatory and Military Impacts
Washington, D.C. - Ahead of a scheduled March 1 House Natural Resources Committee hearing with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on departmental and programmatic budgeting, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will speak at a Capitol Hill briefing next Wednesday, Feb. 10, on how an important provision of the Endangered Species Act is implemented and on the Endangered Species Act's compatibility with military readiness. The discussion will be led by Major General Michael Lehnert, USMC (… Continue Reading
02.05.16
Grijalva Highlights Need for National Park Funding As NPS Releases Nationwide $11.9 Billion Maintenance Backlog Estimate
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the National Park Service's (NPS) announcement today that the maintenance backlog at our national parks has reached a staggering $11.9 billion. Grijalva introduced the Centennial Act (H.R. 3556) last year to provide funding and management authority for the NPS to help the country celebrate the Service's 100th anniversary later in 2016, address the Service's maintenance backlog and further enha… Continue Reading
02.04.16
Grijalva Applauds President Obama’s Proposal to Permanently Reauthorize LWCF in FY17 Budget, Notes Ongoing GOP Obstruction
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva released the following statement applauding President Obama's call to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), one of America's most important conservation programs. Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) has advocated gutting the program, despite strong bipartisan support for Grijalva's bill to permanently reauthorize the Fund. "I applaud President Obama for sharing the American people's commitment to co… Continue Reading
02.03.16
Grijalva Calls for Hearing on Long-Ignored Endangered Species Issues as GOP Continues to Obstruct U.S. Anti-Poaching Efforts
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter to Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) today urging a hearing on wildlife trafficking and endangered species issues, which the Republican majority largely ignored last year. As the letter points out, the U.S. is sending a delegation to the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Johannesburg, South Africa, this fall, and the Committee has failed to exercise … Continue Reading