Press Releases
Grijalva: Fish and Wildlife Service Should Follow Science, Not Cave to Red Wolf Opponents, in Protecting North Carolina Population
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) announcement that it will suspend efforts to recover the critically endangered red wolf in eastern North Carolina: "The Service is making a profoundly disappointing decision to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Prejudices and irrational fears led to the initial extirpation of the red wolf, and I'm concerned that those same prejudices and fears … Continue Reading
09.08.16
Ranking Member Grijalva: I Join Tribes In Strongly Opposing Just-Passed Republican Bill That Politicizes Tribal Recognition Process
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today highlighted Native American communities' strong opposition to Chairman Rob Bishop's (R-Utah) Tribal Recognition Act, officially designated H.R. 3764, which passed the Natural Resources Committee a few minutes ago largely along party lines. The bill eliminates the executive branch's longstanding ability to recognize a Tribe for the purpose of government-to-government relations, making an act of Congress the only way for the federal g… Continue Reading
08.25.16
Ranking Member Grijalva: Next Century for National Park Service Must Be About “Doing More With More,” Not Fighting for Resources
Saguaro National Park, Ariz. - Speaking before Interim Superintendent Leah McGinnis and a diverse audience at Saguaro National Park outside Tucson, Ariz., today, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva highlighted the opportunities and challenges facing the National Park Service (NPS) as its celebrates its 100th anniversary and looks ahead to its next set of goals. Grijalva emphasized the need to increase NPS funding, permanently reauthorize conservation programs like the Land and Water Conservat… Continue Reading
08.24.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Applauds the Designation of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine
Tucson, Ariz. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva hailed today's designation of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument as a success for Maine, for the country, and for the Antiquities Act, which remains one of the most important conservation tools in American history. The monument's designation comes a day ahead of the Aug. 25 Centennial marking the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, which is expected to manage the newly created monument. "This land needs to be preser… Continue Reading
08.17.16
Ranking Member Grijalva: EPA Should Make Navajo Community Whole in Resolving Gold King Mine Spill Cleanup
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today said the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) first responsibility in resolving the newly announced Navajo Nation lawsuit over the 2015 Gold King Mine spill in Colorado must be to make the Navajo community whole and mitigate financial risk to Navajo tribal members. Grijalva urged EPA officials to consider a settlement as the best and fastest way to protect the interests of the Navajo Nation and the agency itself. Grijalva last y… Continue Reading
08.10.16
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