Press Releases
Chair Grijalva Statement on Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, Postponement of Oversight Hearing
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the catastrophic flooding, ongoing destruction, and island-wide power outage caused by Hurricane Fiona, a Category 1 hurricane that struck Puerto Rico yesterday. The storm hit the island only two days before the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, one of the deadliest hurricanes in history. "There are no words to describe how devastating it is to witness Hurricane… Continue Reading
09.14.22
Committee Staff Release New Hearing Report: The Role of Public Relations Firms in Preventing Action on Climate Change
Washington, D.C. - At today's Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee hearing, Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.), announced a new Committee Staff Hearing Report titled, The Role of Public Relations Firms in Preventing Action on Climate Change. The report presents select findings and 98 pages of evidentiary documents from the Committee's investigation into public relations (PR) firms' work with fossil fuel companies. The full Hearing Report is available here: https://bit.ly/3QKLGsH F… Continue Reading
09.14.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Natural Resources Committee Assignment for First Alaska Native Representative Mary Peltola
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the announcement that Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) will join the Committee for the remainder of the 117th Congress. "As the first Alaska Native (Yu'pik) woman to serve as a member of Congress, and on the Natural Resources Committee, Representative Peltola is making history," Chair Grijalva said. "She has already proven her leadership as a voice for Alaska, Indigenous co… Continue Reading
09.13.22
Chair Grijalva Applauds Department of Interior’s New Efforts to Advance Tribal Co-Management of Public Lands and Waters
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI's) announcement of new guidance to advance tribal co-management of U.S. public lands and waters. The guidance supports the directives of Joint Secretarial Order on Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters, signed by DOI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture at last year… Continue Reading
09.13.22
Chair Grijalva, Committee Members Introduce Bill to Align Public Lands and Waters with Biden Climate Targets, Announce Hearing Next Week
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and other members of the Committee today introduced the Public Lands and Waters Climate Leadership Act to direct the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to manage America's public lands and oceans in accordance with the Biden administration's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals. The full text of the bill is available here. A section-by-section of the bi… Continue Reading
09.12.22
Additional Members Sign Chair Grijalva Letter to House Leadership Opposing Permitting Rider in Continuing Resolution, Totaling 77
Washington, D.C. - Following requests from members to add their signatures, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent an updated letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) opposing the permitting side deal. The letter is now signed by a total of 77 members of Congress who join hundreds of civil rights, environmental justice, public health, and climate-focused organizations opposed to including the p… Continue Reading
09.09.22
Chair Grijalva, 71 Other Members to House Leadership: Keep Permitting Reform Out of a Continuing Resolution
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter with 71 other members of Congress to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) expressing strong opposition to including "comprehensive permitting reform legislation" in this month's Continuing Resolution (CR). The full letter is available here: https://bit.ly/3d3yjGc Last month, the American Petroleum Institute (API) leaked a one-page s… Continue Reading
09.07.22
Chair Grijalva Leads Letter to President Biden, Makes GAO Request on Tribal Co-Management, Announces Hearing on Related Bills
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter with 42 other members of Congress to President Joe Biden asking him to seek opportunities to expand tribal co-management of U.S. public lands, waters, and resources. Chair Grijalva also sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an examination of existing efforts among land management agencies to implement tribal co-management practices. The Chair Grijalva-… Continue Reading
08.24.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Another Zinke Lie to DOI Office of Inspector General
Washington, D.C. - Following the release of the Department of Interior (DOI) Office of Inspector General's (OIG) report that Trump's former Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke and his Chief of Staff made knowingly misleading statements to OIG investigators regarding Zinke's decision about a proposed casino, House Natural Resources Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) released the following statement: "Today's report is another entry into the long litany of former Secretary Zinke's lies and coveru… Continue Reading
08.19.22
Chair Grijalva Demands Action on LUMA Contract, Promises Oversight
Washington, D.C. - Today, Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement: "Americans deserve access to reliable power. The people of Puerto Rico should not be faced with prolonged energy blackouts and uncertainty that forces them into potentially dangerous scenarios. The situation with Puerto Rico's unreliable electric system is unacceptable. The government of Puerto Rico must hold LUMA accountable to ensure the residents of Puerto Rico… Continue Reading
08.17.22
Chair Grijalva, Rep. Porter Send Second Request Letter to Fossil Fuel Public Relations Firm FTI Consulting, Threaten Subpoena
Washington, D.C. - Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) today sent a second letter to oil and gas public relations (PR) firm FTI Consulting requesting any of the firm's PR work, marketing, or influence campaigns for oil, gas, and coal companies and trade groups. The lawmakers sent the first request letter to FTI Consulting in June, more than eight weeks ago, along with fo… Continue Reading
08.17.22
ICYMI: “Here Comes the Climate Deal’s Other Shoe”
New Opinion Piece in Newsweek by Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.): Watch Out! Here Comes the Climate Deal's Other Shoe. - Aug. 17, 2022 The Democrats' health, climate, and corporate tax plan-the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)-was just signed into law by President Biden. If projections are accurate, this legislation will not only drive down prescription drug costs for millions of Americans, it could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an unprecedented 40 pe… Continue Reading
08.16.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Interior’s Announcement of New Actions to Protect Colorado River System in Light of Historic Climate Change-Induced Drought Conditions
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) announced response to severe drought conditions in the Colorado River System. These actions include unprecedented reductions in water allocations to Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico beginning in January 2023, given the first-ever Tier 2 shortage conditions for Lake Mead. "Interior is making the right move by putting crit… Continue Reading
08.16.22
Chair Grijalva Introduces Bill to Protect Tribal Cultural, Historical, and Natural Resources of Great Bend of the Gila in Southern Arizona
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced the Great Bend of the Gila Conservation Act to protect one of the most culturally significant and ecologically fragile landscapes in the southwestern United States. The bill will establish the 330,000-acre Great Bend of the Gila National Conservation Area, the 47,000-acre Paolo Verde National Conservation Area, and nearly 60,000 acres of new wilderness. The full text of the bill is availa… Continue Reading
08.12.22
Chair Grijalva Commends House Passage of Inflation Reduction Act, Blasts Side Deal on So-Called Permitting Reform
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on House passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, by a vote of 220-207. The legislation, which has already passed the Senate and will now advance to President Biden's desk for signing into law, will invest $370 billion towards addressing climate change-the United States' most significant climate investment in history. In addition to lowering Americans' energy costs and creat… Continue Reading
08.04.22
Chair Grijalva Statement on Senate Republicans’ Vote to Undo New NEPA Regulations
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement on Senate passage of a Republican-led resolution to invoke the Congressional Review Act to undo the Biden administration's recent finalization of Phase One rulemaking on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The rulemaking restored NEPA regulatory protections that were eliminated by the Trump administration in 2020. "It seems as though the GOP will stop at nothing to wage their nonsensical war agai… Continue Reading
07.29.22
Chair Grijalva Celebrates Bipartisan House Passage of Big Cat Public Safety Act, Other Natural Resources Bills
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 263, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, by a bipartisan vote of 278-134. This legislation, introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) on January 11, 2021, will prohibit private possession and breeding of big cats (e.g., lions and tigers) and restrict direct contact between the public and big cats. A fact sheet on … Continue Reading
07.29.22
Chair Grijalva Cheers House Passage of Legislation to Address Wildfire and Drought
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 5118, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency (WRDR) Act, by a bipartisan vote of 218-199. This legislation, led by National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee Chair Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), will build on the investments made by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to help communities respond to wildfire and droug… Continue Reading
07.29.22
Chair Grijalva and Territorial Delegates Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Address Disparities in Data Collection for U.S. Territories
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and the delegates of the five U.S Territories-Rep. Aumua Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-CNMI), Rep. Michael San Nicolas (D-Guam), Rep. Jenniffer González Colón, (R-Puerto Rico), and Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett (D-USVI)-introduced the bipartisan H.R. 8593, the Territories Statistics Collection Equity Act, today to address disparities in available data … Continue Reading
07.27.22
Historic Environmental Justice For All Act Passes Committee, One Step Closer to Becoming Law
Washington, D.C. - Today, in a full committee markup, the House Natural Resources Committee passed H.R. 2021, the Environmental Justice For All Act, by a vote of 26-21. The legislation, introduced by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) on March 18, 2021, is the most comprehensive environmental justice bill in history and the first major environmental justice bill to pass through a congressional committee. A fact sheet on the bill is available in English … Continue Reading