Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Oversight and Investigations
DOI IG Letter on Cancellation of NAS Mountaintop Removal Mining Study June 7 2018
A letter from the DOI Office of Inspector General explaining that the Interior Department has been misleading Congress and the public for months about why and how it canceled a study on the health effects of mountaintop removal mining.… Continue Reading
05.21.18
NPS Letter to Grijalva on Border Region Law Enforcement Ramp
The National Park Service (NPS) responded to Ranking Member Grijalva's letter requesting more information on the deployment of U.S. Park Police officers to secure the southern border.… Continue Reading
05.18.18
DOI Response to GAO Request on Zinke Calls with Alaska Senators
The Department of the Interior Office of the Solicitor responded to a letter concerning the telephone calls made between Secretary Zinke and two Senators from Alaska.… Continue Reading
04.19.18
Grijalva Cummings Letter to DOI Inspector General on Zinke Use of Personal Email April 19 2018
04.16.18
DOI Inspector General Looks into Zinke's use of Chartered Planes
The Department of the Interior Inspector General Mary Kendall sent a letter to Ranking Member Grijalva and Rep. McEachin on her investigation into Secretary Zinke's use of chartered planes.… Continue Reading
04.12.18
Grijalva Letter to Zinke on Vetting Process for DOI Political Appointees
Following several embarrassing instances of racist and conspiratorial statements by Trump administration Inteior Department officials, Ranking Member Grijalva writes to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke requesting information on DOI's vetting process for political appointees.… Continue Reading
04.12.18
Grijalva Calls for a Hearing on the DOI Reassignment Process
In response to the Department of the Interior's (DOI) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report that concluded that the reassignments at DOI were for purely political reasons to punish employees that work on climate change or conservation, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva sent a letter to Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) to request an oversight hearing on the real reasons for the reassignments.… Continue Reading
04.05.18
Grijalva and McEachin Letter Requesting OSC Investigation of Zinke Politicking in Florida
Reps. Grijalva and McEachin request an Office of Special Counsel investigation of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's potentially illegal campaign activities while on duty during a trip to Florida. This letter was sent April 5, 2018.… Continue Reading
04.05.18
Democratic Letter to DOI IG on Manipulating NPS Climate Change Report
A letter from Reps. Grijalva, Tsongas, McEachin, Beyer and Lowenthal requesting an Interior Department inspector general investigation of the removal of information about human climate impacts from a report commissioned by the National Park Service. This letter was sent April 5, 2018.… Continue Reading
03.15.18
Letter From Secretary Zinke to Chairman Bishop on Non-Commercial Travel
The Department of the Interior sent a letter to Chairman Bishop clarifying questions raised about Secretary Zinke's use of non-commercial flights.… Continue Reading
03.07.18
Grijalva and McEachin Letter Requesting OSC Investigation of Zinke AML Announcements
Ranking Member Grijalva and Rep. McEachin sent a letter to the Department of the Interior Special Counsel to request an investigation into whether Secretary Zinke violated the Hatch Act when he used taxpayer funds to announce funding for coal mine reclamation at a site one mile away from the boundary of the 18th District of Pennsylvania. A special Congressional election took place in the District less than three weeks after the announcement was made.… Continue Reading
02.28.18
Grijalva McEachin Letter Requesting DOI OIG Funding Increase
02.16.18
Grijalva Letter to Zinke on Utah Rep. Mike Noel Conflicts of Interest
02.14.18
Grijalva and McEachin Demand Answers on Zinke's Reorganization Plan
Ranking Member Grijalva and Rep. McEachin sent a letter to Secretary Zinke urging him to stop the reorganization of DOI until he provides a detailed and well-justified plan to Congress.… Continue Reading
01.12.18
Grijalva Letter to BLM Acting Director on Bundy Trial
Ranking Member Grijalva sent a letter to BLM's Acting Director, Brian Steed, to request a briefing for Committee staff on the Cliven Bundy trespassing grazing trial.… Continue Reading
10.02.17
Grijalva and McEachin Ask OIG to Investigate Zinke's Use of Taxpayer Funds for Travel
Ranking Member Girjalva and Rep. McEachin sent a letter on October 2, 2017 to the Department of Interior's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) requesting an investigation into Secretary Zinke's travel costs and associated schedules. On October 11, 2017, OIG confirmed they received the letter and said the invesigation is open.… Continue Reading
09.18.17
Letter to Secretary Zinke on DOI Order to Steamroll National Environmental Policy Act
On August 31, 2017, the Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI) issued an Order to steamroll National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementation and review processes. Calling NEPA analyses "needlessly complex," the Order issued arbitrary page number limitations and time limits for NEPA documentation, namely environmental impact statements. The page limits were not met routinely during the last two administrations, mostly to avoid lawsuits because the NEPA analyses were inade… Continue Reading
09.08.17
GAO Acceptance Letter on Legal Opinion for Threatening Zinke Calls to Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan
A Sept. 8, 2017, letter from the Government Accountability Office confirming it will prepare a formal legal opinion on Secretary Zinke's phone call to Sens. Lisa Murkowski allegedly threatening funding for the state of Alaska unless Murkowski voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.… Continue Reading
08.03.17
DOI IG Confirmation of Preliminary Investigation on Zinke Call to Murkowski Aug 3 2017
An Aug. 3, 2017, letter from the Interior Department Office of Inspector General confirming a preliminary investigation into whether Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated laws or standards in contacting Sen. Lisa Murkowski to threaten the state of Alaska over her vote against destroying the Affordable Care Act.… Continue Reading
04.01.15
Grijalva Letter to Comptroller General, Gene L. Dodaro on 4/1
On April 1, 2015, Ranking Member Raul M. Grijalva wrote a letter to the Honorable Gene L. Dodaro to examine the efforts of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to detect and deter unauthorized livestock grazing on public lands.… Continue Reading