Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on today’s newly released Senate budget resolution. Grijalva noted that this morning’s report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change illustrates the stark need to fund conservation, habitat protection and impact mitigation programs at a level that meets the increasing climate-related destruction the country is already facing.

“Climate change is accelerating and creating more conservation needs than we’ve ever faced, and meeting those needs would put a lot of Americans to work. Regardless of how much good work this resolution does in other areas, you can’t spin away the fact that it doesn’t offer the Interior Department enough money to meet some of our critical climate goals, including pressing needs like drought mitigation throughout the West. It’s disappointing to see these obvious needs go unmet, just as it’s disappointing to see the bipartisan infrastructure plan weaken the National Environmental Policy Act, both of which make me worry about whether conservation is being undervalued in federal policy.

“Investments in electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies are critical to a cleaner future, but millions of Americans are facing drought, wildfire, erosion and habitat destruction today. Secretary Haaland and the agencies and bureaus at Interior can meet these immediate needs if we give them the resources to do so. I’m working with members of Congress who feel the same way I do to increase the topline number on these programs and make sure our conservation efforts get the funding they need to meet the catastrophic climate challenges we now face.”

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