Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Energy and Mineral Resources
Ranking Member Grijalva Leads 51-Member Letter to EPA Chief Urging Fracking Review to Follow Expert Input on Water Risks
This press release has been updated online from its original version to reflect an increased number of signatories. Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today sent a letter signed by 51 House Democrats urging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy and her staff to follow the recommendations of the EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) before finalizing and publishing a congressionally mandated review of fracking's risks to drinking water. In its rece… Continue Reading
09.21.16
Grijalva: GOP Full Committee Hearing Today “Another in a Long Line of Time-Wasting Climate Denial Theater Productions”
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva dismissed today's Committee hearing at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on White House climate change guidance to federal agencies as "another in a long line of time-wasting climate denial theater productions." Grijalva urged the Committee majority to end its habit of calling climate hearings to promote discredited views and repeat industry talking points. "Everyone involved knows this is about sending a partisan signal to industry allies and cli… 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Grijalva, Dingell, Cartwright: New Guidance Brings Outdated Coal Industry Self-Bonding Standards Closer to Extinction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
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
03.24.16
Dems Request Hearing on Abandoned Mine Legislation
Tucson, Ariz. - In an attempt to spur action to begin meaningfully addressing the nationwide problem of abandoned hardrock mines, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and five Democrats on the Committee sent a letter this morning to Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee Chairman Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) to request a hearing on two bills that would allow these abandoned mines to be tackled head-on. It's estimated that 500… Continue Reading
03.15.16
Grijalva Applauds President Obama for Protecting the Atlantic from Unsafe Drilling
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement applauding the Obama Administration for removing the Atlantic Ocean from the proposed 2017-2022 offshore oil and gas drilling program. The previous version of the program included leasing federal waters to oil and gas companies off the coasts of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. "I applaud the Obama Administration for sharing the American people's … Continue Reading
02.17.16
Grijalva Questions GOP Refusal to Vote On or Debate Newly Issued Recess Subpoenas of Army Corps Gold King Mine Spill Analysis
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today questioned the timing and manner of the Republican majority's newly announced subpoenas seeking federal documents on the Gold King Mine spill. The subpoenas, which Republicans took the unusual step of issuing during a recess week so as to avoid Committee hearings or public debate, target the Army Corps of Engineers and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, demanding to see the Corps' peer review of DOI's analysis of last year's mine spil… Continue Reading
02.09.16
Ranking Member Grijalva Lauds Administration Budget Proposal To Clean Up Abandoned Hardrock Mines, Urges Republican Action
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised President Obama's newly released budget proposal to establish a dedicated funding source to clean up the estimated 500,000 abandoned hardrock mines posing environmental and safety hazards to communities around the country. The plan is similar to Grijalva's Hardrock Mine Reform and Reclamation Act (H.R. 963), which modernizes hardrock mining on public lands. Both proposals offer a viable path forward for thousands … 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
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
12.09.15
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
12.02.15
Ranking Member Grijalva on House Energy Bill Up for Debate This Afternoon: “No Excuse for This Committee’s Meager Contributions”
Washington, D.C. - As world leaders gather in Paris to negotiate a global agreement on developing clean energy sources and preventing climate change, the Republican-led House of Representatives is preparing to vote later today on amendments to H.R. 8, a partisan energy bill that does nothing to address American reliance on fossil fuels or the climate damage done by carbon emissions. The bill includes only two small measures - passed on a party-line basis earlier this year - from the Natural Reso… Continue Reading
11.06.15
Ranking Member Grijalva on President Obama’s Keystone Rejection: “A Testament to Years of Public Action on a Critical Issue”
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a leading House critic of the Keystone XL pipeline proposal, hailed today's announcement that President Obama will formally reject Keystone as not being in the national interest. Grijalva cited the tremendous effort of Americans around the country who organized and campaigned for years against the pipeline. "This is a testament to years of public action on a critical issue," said Grijalva, who… Continue Reading
11.05.15
Abandoned Mine Lands Hearing Wrap-up: Speakers Agree More Funding Needed to Clean Up Abandoned Mines
Hearing Wrap-up: Nov. 4 Legislative Hearing on Energy and Mineral Resources on Abandoned Mine Lands Democrats, Witnesses Agree: Additional Funding Needed to Clean up Abandoned Mines Bills H.R. 3843, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.): To authorize for a 7-year period the collection of claim location and maintenance fees, and for other purposes. ''Locatable Minerals Claim Location and Maintenance Fees Act of 2015.'' H.R. 3844, Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.): To establish the Energy and Minerals Reclamatio… Continue Reading
11.03.15
Leading Congressional Keystone Critic Grijalva Calls on Administration to Reject Keystone in Light of Parent Company’s Delay Request
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a leading critic of the Keystone XL pipeline proposal who published a Feb. 26, 2014, New York Times op-ed urging President Obama to reject it, today hailed the announcement that Keystone's parent company is now seeking to delay the final federal approval decision. Grijalva said TransCanada should withdraw its application altogether in the face of overwhelming evidence that Canadian tar sands wi… Continue Reading
10.16.15
Ranking Member Grijalva Supports the Interior Department’s Cancellation of Arctic Offshore Lease Sales
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement today on the Department of the Interior's announcement that they will, in light of current market conditions and low industry interest, cancel two potential Arctic offshore lease sales scheduled under the current five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program for 2012-2017. This decision follows Shell's announcement of its exploration results at the Burger prospect in … Continue Reading
09.24.15
Rnk. Mbr. Grijalva, Natural Resources Committee Democrats Hail Pope Francis' Message of a Cleaner Environment and More Sustainable Use of Resources
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva and Democratic members of the House Natural Resources Committee released the following statements today on Pope Francis' message of a cleaner environment and more sustainable use of resources to benefit humanity. "The Pope's message of making the world livable for everyone, not just those who already have power over our economy and our environment, resonates far beyond petty politics and daily headlines," Grijalva said. "I join my collea… Continue Reading
09.11.15
Ranking Member Grijalva Hails BLM Decision to Maintain Separate Arizona and New Mexico Offices, Continue Local Services
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva today hailed the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) newly announced decision to continue operating separate Arizona and New Mexico field offices, a decision that will maintain the agency's high level of local service and management expertise in each state. Grijalva has been a leading opponent of calls to consolidate the offices, which would have burdened the new single office with managing more land than any BLM office outside Alaska or Ne… Continue Reading
08.03.15
Grijalva, Team of City Leaders Hail Release of Clean Power Plan as Republicans Continue Refusing to Acknowledge Basic Climate Facts
Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva and a team of major-city mayors today hailed the release of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan rule to reduce climate-warming emissions nationwide over the next several decades. The Republican majority on the Natural Resources Committee has held several hearings this year in which members have openly denied that human activity is accelerating climate change - you can see extensive video highlights here and here - and yelled at a… Continue Reading