Press Releases
Puerto Rico Control Board Hearing Wrap-up: Who is Congress Helping, Hedge Funds or American Citizens?
Hearing Wrap-up: February 2 Oversight Hearing on "The Need for the Establishment of a Puerto Rico Financial Stability and Economic Growth Authority" Further austerity, while profitable for some investors, is counterproductive for the families of Puerto Rico Witnesses The Honorable Anthony A. Williams, Former Mayor of Washington, D.C., 1999-2007, Senior Advisor, Dentons US LLP Mr. Carlos M. Garcia, Former Chairman and President of the Government Development Bank of Puerto Rico, Chief Executiv… Continue Reading
01.27.16
Ranking Member Grijalva on Bundy Militia Member Arrests: “Congress Should Speak Now With One Voice, Prevent Further Violence”
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), whose Natural Resources Committee oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service and the national wildlife refuge system, released the following statement on last night's arrest of multiple militia members who had refused to leave Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. On Jan. 6 Grijalva introduced a congressional resolution (H. Res. 575) that condemned the illegal armed standoff at Malheur. The resolution was cosponsored by House Democrat… Continue Reading
01.20.16
Grijalva on NOAA Announcement That 2015 Was Hottest Year Ever: “How Will Republicans in Washington Spin This One?”
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva released the following statement on this morning's announcement by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that 2015 was by far the hottest year on record, surpassing 2014's record by a wider margin than ever observed. "Every time it snows in Washington, Republicans race to the nearest microphone to tell us a global warming is a myth. I can't help wondering how they'll spin this one or how long it'll take the Koch Brothers to… Continue Reading
01.20.16
Ranking Member Grijalva on Chairman Bishop’s Public Lands Initiative: “Public Input and Give-and-Take are Keys to Successful Deals”
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on today's unveiling of Chairman Rob Bishop's "Public Lands Initiative," an attempt to redraw the map of public lands and land use regulations across the state of Utah. "My position on this effort is less important than those of the stakeholders whose lives this bill could change forever. As we've seen time and time again, sweeping public lands bills don't pass without local buy-in and genuine g… Continue Reading
01.20.16
Ranking Members Grijalva, DeFazio Call for Stronger Oil and Gas Company Bonding Requirements as GAO Shows Potential Shortfall
Washington, D.C. - Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) - the ranking members of the House Natural Resources Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, respectively - are calling on the Interior Department (DOI) to finalize new financial bonding standards for oil and gas companies in light of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report showing that taxpayers are potentially at risk for billions of dollars in costs for decommissioning … Continue Reading
01.19.16
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