{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=13&itemid=1512", "Grijalva Calls Obama Climate Plan a Good First Step, Expects Keystone XL Decision to \"Set an Important Environmental Tone\"", "2013-06-25", "2013", "2013-06", "Democrat", "House", "AZ", "Ra\u00fal Grijalva", "G000551", "grijalva.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Note: This press release was updated.\r\n\r\n\tWashington, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 Rep. Ra\u00fal M. Grijalva today called President Obama\u2019s newly announced climate change prevention plan \u201ca good first step\u201d and said he was encouraged by the president proactively addressing the issue. Grijalva, the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulations and a leading environmental voice in Congress, saluted the president for taking the initiative and presenting a clear agenda to the nation.\r\n\r\n\tIn the speech, President Obama said the Keystone XL pipeline proposal should be blocked if it adds significant greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Grijalva said he hopes that in making a final decision, the president carefully considers the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s public comments on the project, released in April, suggesting that the State Department\u2019s controversial draft environmental impact statement had not fully accounted for the pipeline\u2019s likely atmospheric impacts.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cThis decision will set a tone on environmental policy in Washington for years to come,\u201d Grijalva said. \u201cThe fate of this project will define much of the legacy of this administration and others to follow. I\u2019m encouraged by the president\u2019s clear and genuine interest in preventing more damage to our atmosphere, and I hope that consideration is foremost in his mind when the final decision is made.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tGrijalva has been a leading Congressional opponent of Keystone XL and sent a letter to President Obama on May 25, co-signed by 29 of his colleagues, urging the president to reject the pipeline. That letter read in part, \u201cKeystone XL will increase global demand for tar sands, which produce far more climate-heating emissions than conventional oil. There is a better way forward, and we call on you to continue leading the way.\u201d\r\n\r\n\t\u201cToday\u2019s speech is what leading the way really looks like,\u201d Grijalva said. \u201cWhile I have reservations about certain aspects of his plan, I believe there is much the nation can agree on and put into practice in short order, and that\u2019s what we need right now. The time for false choices and outdated rhetoric is over. We really can clean up the world we live in and put more people on the job. It\u2019s time to start doing that.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tGrijalva cited the end of public financing for new coal plants as just one example of a workable, uncontroversial goal laid out by the president today.\r\n\r\n\tGrijalva has been a vocal leader on combating climate change both in Congress and in working with outside groups. He voted in favor of the 2009 American Clean Energy and Security Act passed by the House, which would have established a first-time cap-and-trade emissions reduction system. He promoted the expansion of the Department of the Interior\u2019s climate research program to include universities, especially those able to leverage access to national forests and public lands, and in 2010 successfully advocated for the creation of the Southwest Climate Center at the University of Arizona, which was announced following a round of competitive proposals.\r\n\r\n\tGrijalva called for Congress to follow up on the president\u2019s action items, work more closely with the White House on the issue, and adopt a proactive stance going forward. Over the long term, Grijalva said, others should follow and expand on the themes of today\u2019s speech.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cToday opened a new phase of our national conversation about the balance between extractive industries and the public interest. We\u2019re not going to look the other way any longer when environmental risks present themselves. We\u2019re not going to kid ourselves about the consequences of our choices. We\u2019re going to start doing the hard work of building a new economy that works for everyone and doesn\u2019t profit from pollution, and we\u2019re going to do it together.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=13&itemid=1512"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8194879628717899, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}