Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Oversight and Investigations
Ranking Member Grijalva Statement on Interior’s New Recommendations for U.S. Park Police and Other DOI Law Enforcement
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the release of a new report from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) outlining 12 recommendations and aspirations for improving law enforcement practices among the U.S. Park Police (USPP) and other law enforcement units. The report was issued by DOI’s Law Enforcement Task Force, which was established in 2021. “This report was triggered by multiple incident… Continue Reading
05.24.23
Ranking Member Grijalva Statement on New Government Watchdog Report Finding Park Police Used Excessive Force at June 1 Protest
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on a new report from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Inspector General (OIG), which found that U.S. Park Police (USPP) used excessive force against two members of the news media during peaceful protests in Lafayette Park on June 1, 2020. The protest demonstration was a result of systemic police violence against Black people, namely the brutal … Continue Reading
05.24.23
At Subcommittee Hearing, Democrats Counter Extremist GOP Attacks on Commonsense Conservation Rule and Antiquities Act
Washington, D.C. - At today's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing, Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) delivered the following opening statement countering Republican's partisan attacks on the Antiquities Act and the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) new rule to better balance conservation with extraction in land management decisions. WATCH Ranking Member Stansbury's full statement. The transcript is available below. During the hearing, Committee Ranking Member Raúl… Continue Reading
05.11.23
At Subcommittee Hearing, NEPA Expert Debunks Industry-Driven Rhetoric about Energy Project Delays and Permitting Reform Needs
Washington, D.C. - At today's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing with Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), witness Jamie Pleune, Professor of Law at the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law, provided testimony highlighting her extensive research on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is critical in protecting communities against pollution, particularly those that have been overburdened by irresponsible industry action for too long. CLICK HERE to w… Continue Reading
05.01.23
Government Watchdog Raises Alarm on Major Safety Issues at Detention Centers in Indian Country; Grijalva Warns Against Further Budget Cuts
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on a newly released Management Advisory from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlighting immediate health and safety concerns at detention facilities funded and/or operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The three specific facilities include the San Carlos Apache Adult/Juvenile Detention Center, the White Mount… Continue Reading
04.21.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Sen. Duckworth, Rep. Lee, Sen. Booker Issue Joint Statement Cheering President Biden’s Environmental Justice For All Executive Order
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today issued the following statement on President Biden's newly signed Executive Order, Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All. The Order mirrors several key priorities from the lawmakers' A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice For All Act, the most comprehensive envi… Continue Reading
06.13.22
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Porter Request Oil and Gas Public Relations Campaign Materials
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) sent letters to five public relations (PR) firms-FTI Consulting, Story Partners, DDC Advocacy, Blue Advertising, and Singer Associates-that conduct PR campaigns on behalf of fossil fuel industry clients. The lawmakers also sent a letter to the American Petroleum Institute, a major oil and gas industry trade group that plays a major, ac… Continue Reading
05.11.22
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Porter Refer Former Interior Secretary Bernhardt, Villages at Vigneto Developer to Justice Department, Alleging Criminal Bribery
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) today made a criminal referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) outlining evidence of a likely criminal quid pro quo between Trump administration officials, including former U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary David Bernhardt, and real estate developer Mike Ingram. Ingram is the owner of El Dorado Holdings, which p… Continue Reading
03.22.22
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Porter Statement on the Announcement of Ambassador Joe Yun as New Presidential Envoy
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) today released the following joint statement regarding the announcement of Ambassador Joe Yun as the new Special Presidential Envoy for negotiations with the Freely Associated States-the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau-to extend the Compacts of Free Association: "Ambassador Yun is an accomplished di… Continue Reading
02.16.22
Chair Grijalva Issues Statement on Inspector General Report that Former Secretary Zinke Used Office for Personal Gain, Lied to Ethics Officials
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement about a report issued by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) finding that former DOI Secretary Ryan Zinke, in pursuing a brewery as part of a larger development near his residential property in Whitefish, Mont., violated his ethics obligations, used federal resources for personal gain, and lied to ethics officials and the media. The report was requested i… Continue Reading
02.09.22
Grijalva, Porter, Request Documents from Organizations Giving Awards to Climate Misinformation Campaigns
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, sent letters today to six organizations that give out public relations awards, requesting documents on PR campaigns conducted on behalf of the oil and gas industry on the subject of climate change. In the letter, available online here, the lawmakers cite former senior Exxon Mobil lobbyist Keith McCoy, who admitted on tape that his employer had fu… Continue Reading
12.17.21
Grijalva, Committee Leaders Call for Amplify Energy to Brief Committee Members on Southern Calif. Oil Spill, Urge Sec. Haaland to Consider Canceling Amplify Leases
Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter with Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) calling on Amplify Energy Corp., the company responsible for the October oil spill off the coast of Southern California, and two of its subsidiaries to brief members of the Natural Resources Committee on their actions leading up to the disaster. The letter, available here, follows two Committee oversight hearings (see here and here) on the oil s… Continue Reading
11.19.21
Grijalva Praises Passage of Build Back Better Act, Cites Strong Environmental Provisions
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement following the House passage of the Build Back Better Act, highlighting the Act's strong conservation provisions, including funding for climate adaptation and firefighting, drought relief, and coastal restoration similar to the provisions passed by the Committee in September. Chair Grijalva noted the bill's strong investments in environmental justice and funding to increase community input on major federal … Continue Reading
11.15.21
Grijalva, Huffman, Case Issue Joint Statement on Inspector General Audit of Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Water Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee Chair Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-CNMI) issued the following joint statement regarding the recent audit of the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund (WPSFF) conducted by the Department of Commerce Office of the Inspector General. The audit found that the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council (WESPAC) and its sub-recipients claimed que… Continue Reading
06.09.21
Chair Grijalva, Senator Wyden: Interior Department Inspector General’s Review of Lafayette Square Crackdown Lacks Clarity, Leaves Unanswered Questions
Washington, D.C. – House Committee on Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today said the new Department of the Interior inspector general report on the violent crackdown against peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020, lacks clear explanations for the key issues surrounding the event, including how and why law enforcement officers were authorized to use violent tactics, and leaves unanswered questions that will have to b… Continue Reading
03.15.21
Chair Grijalva on Confirmation of Deb Haaland as Interior Secretary: “A Historic Step Toward Redeeming Our Nation’s Relationship With First Americans”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today released the following statement on the confirmation of Deb Haaland to be Secretary of the Interior. "The confirmation of Sec. Deb Haaland is a historic step toward redeeming our nation's relationship with first Americans. Sec. Haaland will bring to the Interior Department and the Biden administration a profound responsibility and commitment to climate change, equity, and public actions that all Americans will benefit from. Sec. H… Continue Reading
02.12.21
Chair Grijalva: Trump’s Impeachment Defense Lawyers Just Lied About Events at Lafayette Square – Comparison to Jan. 6 Attack is Offensive and Inaccurate
Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on Trump impeachment lawyers’ false claims just now that the violent law enforcement crackdown against unarmed civilians at Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020, was a response to violence among the protesters. “What we saw on Jan. 6 was a well-armed violent insurrection against our form of government. As Mr. Trump’s lawyers well know, the premeditated violence and murder that took plac… Continue Reading
12.30.20
Chair Grijalva Requests Body-Worn Camera Footage of National Park Service Agent Tasering U.S. Marine Veteran at Petroglyph National Monument
Washington, D.C. - In a new letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, available at http://bit.ly/2WTA50Q, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) requests footage from body-worn cameras used by National Park Service (NPS) officers involved in the Dec. 27 Tasering of Darrell House, a Marine Corps veteran and enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and Oneida Nation, at Petroglyph National Monument. Grijalva requests four pieces of information on the recent incident: All footage recorded by a… Continue Reading
10.28.20
Chair Grijalva Releases Roadmap to Repair DOI & Other Agencies, Reverse Damage From Four Years of Trump Administration Corruption and Incompetence
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and the majority staff of the House Natural Resources Committee today released a 47-page report outlining the Trump administration's destruction of the Department of the Interior (DOI) and other agencies in the Committee's jurisdiction and how to restore those agencies' effectiveness and credibility. The report, titled Dirty Deals: Four Years of the Trump Administration Putting Polluter Profits Over People, is available online at https:… Continue Reading
10.14.20
In New Letter, Chair Grijalva Pushes Bernhardt for Written Explanations of Administration’s Shifting Narrative Around Violent Lafayette Square Crackdown
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent Interior Secretary David Bernhardt a letter asking for documents and interviews to explain the administration's violent June 1 law enforcement crackdown at Lafayette Square against peaceful civil rights protesters. The letter, available at https://bit.ly/2SWtxg4, highlights inconsistent and evasive testimony from Acting U.S. Park Police Chief Gregory Monahan at the Committee's July 28 hearing and the administration's consisten… Continue Reading
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