Today the top position on the House Natural Resources Committee will be determined by the House Democratic Caucus. Yesterday Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio won the backing of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee to receive his party’s nod for the spot over Representative Raul Grijalva.
The policy committee voted 33-16 in favor of DeFazio over Grijalva of Arizona to serve as the ranking Democrat on the committee.
Grijalva has fought for the spot in because the Committee has jurisdiction over legislation affecting federal lands. Western states, Arizona in particular have the largest swaths of federally controlled land in the country. A position as the head of the Committee would allow Grijalva to continue to thwart mining in the state.
Grijalva mystified supporters when he argued that the Committee should ignore DeFazio’s seniority and elevate him to the spot instead.
DeFazio was the next most senior member on the committee after Edward Markey, D-Mass., who this week was sworn in to fill the his state’s vacancy in the U.S. Senate, according to Roll Call. DeFazio has deep support among his fellow Democrats, which according to Roll Call, seems to have been borne out by the steering committee vote.