Press Releases
Ranking Democrat Grijalva and Senator Markey Lead Call on President Biden to Reject the Willow Project
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, today led their colleagues in sending a letter to President Joe Biden calling on his administration to reject ConocoPhillips' Willow Master Development Plan (MDP), a massive 30-year oil and gas development proposal on public lands in the National Petrol… Continue Reading
02.28.23
Republican Majority Holds Hearings on So-Called “Permitting Reform” Bills that Fast-Track Polluter Projects by Gutting Environmental Review
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Natural Resources Republicans held two legislative hearings—one in the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee and one at the Full Committee level—to examine three bills that will advance their so-called “permitting reform” agenda to fast-track fossil fuel development and mining, at the expense of the environment and communities. Similar to numerous Republican bills introduced in the past, these bills aim to severely hamstring… Continue Reading
02.27.23
Grijalva Introduces Bill to Protect Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales
Washington, D.C. - Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) introduced the Restoring Effective Science-based Conservation Under Environmental Laws Protecting Whales Act (RESCUE Whales Act) to repeal language passed in December's FY2023 omnibus funding package that significantly threatens the survival and recovery of the North Atlantic right whale. "The language passed into law in the omnibus poses an existential threat to the dwindling North Atla… Continue Reading
02.13.23
Government Watchdog: Cleaning Up Abandoned Mines Costs American Taxpayers Millions, Future Costs Unknown
Washington, D.C. - Today, the nonpartisan Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, requested by then-Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and then-Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Chair Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), highlighting the need for improved reporting on total cleanup costs for abandoned hardrock mines on public lands. Currently, there are 22,500 known abandoned mine features on public lands that pose environmental hazards. GAO previously estimated that th… Continue Reading
02.08.23
On Heels of Big Oil’s Record-Breaking Profits, Committee Republicans Hold Hearing on Expanding Fossil Fuel Development Even Further
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House Natural Resources Committee Republican majority held the Committee's first oversight hearing to examine how Congress and the federal government can enable even more oil and gas drilling and mining on public lands and waters. Over the past few weeks, four of the biggest oil companies-Exxon, Shell, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips-reported their highest profits in history, making $1 trillion in sales in 2022. Meanwhile, climate disasters cost the country $165 billion… Continue Reading
02.07.23
Republican Majority Passes Industry Wish List Agenda, Rejects Amendments on Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Puerto Rico Recovery
Washington, D.C. – At this morning’s House Natural Resources Committee markup, the Republican majority voted to pass their Authorization and Oversight Plan for the 118th Congress, along party lines. The plan, as Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) pointed out in his opening statement, is a check list of the fossil fuel and mining industries biggest asks, including opening public lands and oceans to more drilling, stripping public input from permitting, and attacking e… Continue Reading
02.03.23
Grijalva Requests Updates on Puerto Rico’s Finances and Energy from New Oversight Board Executive Director
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Democrat Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter last week to welcome the newly appointed Executive Director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, Robert Mujica, Jr. The letter requests Mr. Mujica's responses to several questions about the island's finances and the recent privatization of Puerto Rico's energy system. The full letter is available here. The Oversight Board is responsible for overseeing Puer… Continue Reading
02.01.23
Ranking Democrat Grijalva Slams Move to Approve Massive Willow Oil and Gas Development Project
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Democrat Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior's decision to take the next step forward in approving ConocoPhillips' massive Willow project, which will lock in oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska for the next 30 years. A final Record of Decision will be made in no fewer than 30 days. Approval of the Willow project, which includes 250 wells, m… Continue Reading
01.31.23
Ranking Democrat Grijalva Welcomes Full Roster of House Natural Resources Committee Democrats, Announces Top Positions
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Democrat Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on welcoming the Committee's full roster of Democratic members for the 118th Congress. Grijalva also announced the Committee's top Democratic positions, which are noted in the list below. "The climate crisis requires nothing short of our most committed leaders in Congress, and this group of Natural Resources Democrats is just that," said Grijalva. "I'm pro… Continue Reading
01.26.23
Ranking Democrat Grijalva Celebrates Protection of Popular Boundary Waters Area from Mining
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Democrat Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's decision to withdraw more than 225,000 acres in the Superior National Forest from mineral and geothermal leasing for 20 years. The withdrawal will protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, one of the most popular wilderness areas in the country, from major environmental damage. "Some places are … Continue Reading
01.25.23
Ranking Democrat Grijalva Cheers Repeal of Reckless Trump-Era Rule for Tongass National Forest
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Democrat Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Forest Service's repeal of the Trump administration's 2020 Roadless Rule, which exempted the Tongass National Forest from roadless rule protections, exposing the area to major, environmentally devastating logging and construction projects.. This move by the Biden administration will effectively restore roadless protections for more than 9 million acre… Continue Reading
01.06.23
Ranking Democrat Grijalva Blasts Republicans’ Proposed House Rules Changes and Bogus Accounting to Allow Public Land Giveaways
Washington, D.C. - As the House continues to wait for a successful vote on speakership, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Democrat Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on a provision in Republicans' proposed House Rules package that would make it easier for Congress to give away our nation's public lands without getting a fair return for American taxpayers. The proposed rule would ban the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) from accurately accounting for lost re… Continue Reading
01.05.23
Ranking Member Grijalva Announces New Staff Director, Other Democratic Committee Staff for the 118th Congress
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced Lora Snyder as the new Democratic Staff Director for the 118th Congress. Snyder succeeds David Watkins, who retired from Congress after a more than 20-year tenure on the Committee. Snyder first joined the Committee in February 2018 as Professional Staff and was promoted to Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife and later to Deputy Staff Director after … Continue Reading
01.04.23
As Wait for House Speaker Continues, Ranking Member Grijalva Celebrates End-of-Year Wins, Including More Than 100 Natural Resources Provisions Signed into Law
Washington, D.C. – While the House of Representatives awaits a successful vote on speakership, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) highlighted the many policy wins for the Committee in the last month of the 117th Congress. Through both major bipartisan legislative packages—FY23 government funding and the National Defense Authorization Act—and standalone bills, the House passed 97 Natural Resources Committee bills and nine other provis… Continue Reading
12.23.22
Chair Grijalva Helps Secure Funding for Rooftop Solar for Vulnerable Households in Puerto Rico, Other Committee Wins in Government Funding Bill
Washington, D.C. - Following today's House passage of the year-end government funding omnibus bill and imminent signing into law, House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on inclusion of $1 billion for rooftop solar and battery storage for low-income households and households with disabilities in Puerto Rico. In October, shortly after Hurricane Fiona caused an island-wide blackout, Chair Grijalva led a 38-member letter request… Continue Reading
12.22.22
National Heritage Area Act, Two More Natural Resources Bills Pass House, Await President Biden’s Signature
Washington, D.C. - Today, the House passed the National Heritage Act (S. 1942) by a bipartisan vote of 326-95. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) introduced and championed the House version of the bill (H.R. 1316), which passed the House as an amendment to the bipartisan Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act last year. The National Heritage Area Act will establish a National Heritage Areas System to standardize the process for studying and establishing new National Heritage Areas. The bill… Continue Reading
12.22.22
Rep. Grijalva Elected as Top Democrat of Natural Resources Committee for 118th Congress
Washington, D.C. - Today, outgoing Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was elected to continue his tenure as top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee in the position of ranking member in the 118th Congress. Prior to becoming chair when Democrats won the House majority in 2018, Chair Grijalva had served as ranking member since 2014 and had been a member of the Committee since coming to Congress in 2003. During his chairmanship, Chair Grijalva has elevated not only the profile of… Continue Reading
12.21.22
Chair Grijalva Applauds House Passage of Bill to Honor Late Rep. Young, Expected Passage of Five Tribal Bills, All to be Signed into Law
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on bipartisan House passage of the Don Young Recognition Act (S. 5066; Murkowski) and expected bipartisan House passage of five other Natural Resources tribal bills under suspension of the rules. Having already passed the Senate, all six bills will soon advance to President Biden's desk to be signed into law. On the bills' expected passage, Chair Grijalva said, "Desp… Continue Reading
12.20.22
Opinion | The Puerto Rico Status Act is a Real Opportunity
Yesterday, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) published a new opinion piece in The Hill on the bipartisan Puerto Rico Status Act, which passed the House on Dec. 15, 2022. Last week was historic for the people of Puerto Rico. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill-H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act-that could move Puerto Rico away from its current status as a U.S. territory toward a new political future. The current era for the island could finally see its long overdue end, on… Continue Reading
12.15.22
Chair Grijalva Cheers Historic Bipartisan House Passage of Puerto Rico Status Act
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today celebrated bipartisan House passage (233-191) of H.R. 8393, the Puerto Rico Status Act, to resolve Puerto Rico's political status. Chair Grijalva introduced the bill on July 15 with original co-sponsors Small Business Committee Chair Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico), Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cor… Continue Reading