Raúl Grijalva

As Pope Francis said, we need to be focused on building bridges, not walls.

Fences and walls are a harmful, knee-jerk reaction to a complex issue.

This was a consensus bipartisan bill supported by folks in both parties, signed into law by that extremist environmentalist, Ronald Reagan.

Although the ingenuity and industriousness of our forebears was laudable, today, thanks to science and real-world experience, we simply know that we can do better.

Mary's tribe in Washington State was gravely impacted by a hydropower project that dried up part of the Skokomish River.

When hydropower is improperly sited or operated, it can have major impacts, and we need to bear that in mind.

I was glad to do this, because these bills promote private hydropower development, while also preserving public rivers that belong to all Americans.

One does not negate the other in terms of--

I appreciate the acknowledgment by all the witnesses that that is a factor, despite the lack of acknowledgment by the U.S. Congress.

In your opinion again, Doctor, does the Fish and Wildlife Service get the financial resources and the political backing it needs from Congress in order to achieve a shared goal, which is to be able to recover and delist species as quickly…

So, I ask that all Members here today stand up to protect our threatened and endangered species.

I give Congressman Valadao credit for at least being honest about his intentions. But when my colleagues across the aisle continuously push to gut the Endangered Species Act, I will continue to defend it.

Congressman Valadao, the author of that anti-ESA provision in the energy and water appropriations bill was very candid when asked about his goal. He said it was part of a process that would 'hopefully someday repeal' the Endangered Species…

It is perfectly appropriate and, in fact, necessary for the maintenance of our republic that our laws protect the interests of all Americans in conserving the lands and wildlife we all own together as citizens and taxpayers.

At this point, President Obama cannot eat a sandwich without being accused of gross executive over-reach and illegal infringement on congressional authority.

We should be talking about how to secure more habitat and protect ecosystems needed for populations of threatened and endangered fish and wildlife to first recover and then be delisted.

Even though the Endangered Species Act has proven more than 99 percent effective in preventing extinction, a lack of suitable habitats has severely limited many species' prospects for recovery.

I wish today's hearing was going to be a thoughtful discussion about the importance of habitat and protecting and recovering imperiled American fish and wildlife.

I was hoping that was not the choice we were being confronted with.

If a true bipartisan legislation is to appear, it needs to appear immediately.

I think, speaks for itself in terms of what greed has caused in terms of us being able to find a solution to this.

It is at the expense of the quality of life for the people of Puerto Rico.

I think this is the kind of strategy that makes people really angry in Washington.

If something is not done, who wins?

We know who loses if something pragmatic and humanitarian is not done in terms of legislation from this Congress.