November 27, 2018 - Washington, D.C. -  Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on Monday following President Trump’s attempt to bury the Fourth Annual Climate Assessment by releasing it the day after Thanksgiving, instead of next month as was expected.

“The President’s attempts to cover up the real and urgent findings of the most recent Climate Assessment shows that he will do anything to stop the American people from knowing the truth about our changing climate.” Grijalva said. “Every single American needs to know just how dire our climate outlook is. We cannot deny the fact that if temperatures continue to rise it will forever change the world as we know it. The Trump administration’s failure to act to combat climate change over the last two years, seriously jeopardizes our nation’s and our world’s future. With Democrats in charge of the House of Representatives in January we’ll be doing everything possible to combat this growing global crisis. The House Natural Resources Committee will take this report’s assessment, findings, and recommendations seriously and plans to work aggressively to assess the environmental impacts of climate change and to explore the best solutions to combat this challenge. We must act with urgency if we want to protect our past, present and future.”

The Fourth National Climate Assessment, was compiled by 13 federal agencies and more than 300 leading climate scientists. It provides an evaluation of how climate change is affecting our planet including multiple chapters specific to the Natural Resources Committee’s jurisdiction:

• Water
• Energy Supply, Delivery & Demand
• Land Covers & Land-Use Change
• Forests
• Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services & Bio-Diversity
• Coastal Effects
• Oceans & Marine Resources  
• Air Quality
• Tribes and Indigenous People

As incoming Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, Grijalva has pledged to examine how the Trump administration has frozen out public input on environmental decision-making through the National Environmental Policy Act; the scope of climate change impacts on Puerto Rico and the nation’s territories and overseas jurisdictions; climate change’s disproportionate impacts on communities of color, and how stronger environmental justice policies can prevent those disparate impacts; and the critical role federal lands and waters must play in combating climate change and mitigating its impacts.

Additionally, Grijalva joined Democratic Committee leaders, whose committees have jurisdiction over climate change, to announce that their committees will hold a series of hearings over a two-day period early next year to assess the effects of climate change and the need for action.  
Source: Natural Resources Committee Democrats Ranking Member Raul M.Grijalva

Related Information:  Projected Increases In Wildfire Smoke Events Are Expected To Impair Outdoor Recreational Activities And Visibility In Wilderness Areas, United States Global Change Research Program Fourth National Climate Assessment Vol. II Reports