Agriculture, Climate, and Public Lands
As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture and Chair of the Blue Dog Special Task Force on Rural America, I'm focused on giving rural Arizonans and our ag producers a voice in Washington. Read more about my work below.
More on Agriculture, Climate, and Public Lands
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Feb. 11 three contract awards for cleanup efforts at more than 50 abandoned uranium mine sites on and around the Navajo Nation, including at least 10 sites in Arizona and others in New Mexico.
The Navajo Area Abandoned Mine Remedial Construction and Services Contracts (AMRCS), worth up to $220 million over the next five years, were awarded to Red Rock Remediation Joint Venture, Environmental Quality Management Inc. and Arrowhead Contracting Inc.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) voted to pass H.R. 803, the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act: a sweeping legislative package that protects millions of acres of public lands throughout the nation and in Arizona’s First Congressional District, including the Grand Canyon.
WASHINGTON – The House voted Friday to permanently ban new mining claims on more than 1 million acres around Grand Canyon National Park, with supporters calling protection of the landmark canyon a “moral issue.”
The bill would make permanent a current mining moratorium that is scheduled to run through 2032. Supporters said a permanent ban is needed because the Grand Canyon is too valuable to risk possible damage from future mining.
Three congressional Democrats from Arizona are calling on federal officials to fully fund a major water system for the White Mountain Apache Tribe. The long-delayed project has kept many residents without safe and reliable drinking water. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.
In 2008, Congress approved $12 million to design the tribe’s Rural Water System and perform an environmental impact statement and other requirements. But the project still came up about $13 million short for infrastructure because of cost overruns and has gone unfinished.
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) joined Congressman Grijalva, Reps. Gallego and Stanton, and others to introduce the Grand Canyon Protection Act, legislation to permanently protect the greater Grand Canyon region from new mining claims and the pollution they would produce.
In a letter, members of the Congressional Rural Broadband Caucus urged President Joe Biden to prioritize investments in broadband infrastructure as the administration develops its infrastructure proposal.
As the letter states, “In the 21st Century, high-speed broadband is no longer a luxury amenity, but rather an essential service for homes and businesses in this interconnected world.”
VILLAGE OF OAK CREEK—Today, Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) announced new contracts worth up to $220 million to three companies for uranium mine cleanup at 50 high-priority hazardous uranium mine sites on the Navajo Nation.
VILLAGE OF OAK CREEK—This week, Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) joined a bipartisan group of over 80 Members of Congress on a letter to Scott de la Vega, the Acting Secretary of United States Department of the Interior, to request that the Department immediately reverse recent actions by former Secretary Bernhardt on the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) that make harmful changes to the program, blocking new conservation efforts, and contradicting Congress’s express intent for the legislation.
The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) has been secured in Congress that will continue the Winslow Levee Project.
WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) announced he would retain his seats on both the House Energy and Commerce and Agriculture Committees.