Grijalva Will Take Over As House Nat. Resources Chair, Eager To Get To Work On Zinke, Interior
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“Bad bills stop here,” an elated Raul Grijalva told me by phone this morning. He just won reelection to the House of Representatives in his Arizona district. And, because the Democrats now have a majority, he’ll be taking over as chairperson of the House Natural Resources Committee in January.
There, Grijalva plans to apply real oversight to the Department of the Interior, and subpoena Interior secretary Ryan Zinke’s testimony on corruption charges. He also plans to halt the GOP’s effort to “chip away” at keystone environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act. He tells me that reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which directs a portion of federal proceeds from offshore drilling to public-lands conservation, is “job one.” He also plans to halt efforts to mine uranium in and around the Grand Canyon.
Grijalva was frank about the House’s inability to work with the Republican-controlled Senate and President Trump on passing other environmental laws. While he doesn’t see a whole lot of potential in creating new rules in this political environment, he still plans to try. “It’s important that we begin working in the right direction,” he told me. “2020 will be here soon.”
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The midterms led to a check against the Trump administration’s efforts to harm our natural heritage. But we did not win the ability to decisively address the threat of climate change, to further protect public lands in law, or to remove scandal-plagued officials like Zinke who have opened up public lands to exploitation by extractive industries. What we did achieve, though, was a clear sign that political efforts from the outdoors can be effective. Now it’s time to focus that energy on 2020.
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https://www.outsideonline.com/2364001/outdoor-industry-just-won-midterms
