WASHINGTON — The mid-term elections that catapulted Democrats back to power in the House for the first time in eight years have breathed new life into environmental priorities that President Donald Trump has been trying to roll back as the centerpiece of his economic agenda.

The incoming Democratic chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee is threatening to subpoena the Trump administration for documents related to a number of decisions it has taken related to shrinking monuments and other public lands programs.

The incoming Democratic chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is vowing to conduct "rigorous oversight" of the Environmental Protection Agency which has led efforts to roll back Obama-era climate change measures.

And emboldened environmental groups, who collectively spent tens of millions of dollars aiding House candidates this fall, say they expect those they helped elect Tuesday to pursue green-friendly policies in the next congressional session.

"We’ve been ignored up to this point, but as the majority, we don't need to tolerate that," Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said in an interview Wednesday with USA TODAY. "Any legal steps after that, be that subpoena or whatever, will come as a consequence of how (Interior Secretary Ryan) Zinke reacts to what we deem is important information.”

Grijalva's efforts will be helped by dozens of new House members elected Tuesday who promoted the environment as part of their campaign. The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) alone endorsed and helped 41 — all Democrats — from around the country who will be sworn in when the next session of Congress begins in January.

"We have a chance to be on offense for the first time in years," Gene Karpinski, LCV president told reporters during a Wednesday news conference held by several environmental groups.

Karpinski said he wants the new Democratic Congress to focus on two primary goals: robust oversight of federal agencies; and passage of pro-environment measures, such as an infrastructure bill that expands transit programs and water conservation projects.

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Trump, who primarily made his fortune in real estate, has long complained about bureaucratic "red tape" that impedes economic growth. Compressing the time it takes to review permits or conduct environmental impact statements would speed up badly needed infrastructure projects and save taxpayer money.

"We want crystal clean water, we want beautiful perfect air. Air and water has to be perfect," the president said during a spirited news conference Wednesday. "At the same time, we don’t want to put ourselves at a disadvantage to other countries who are very competitive with us and who don’t abide by the rules at all. We don’t want to hurt our jobs, we don’t want to hurt our factories, we don’t want companies leaving."

Asked to comment on Grijalva's comments, Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift said Interior wants to work on "bipartisan priorities" in the next session of Congress.

"We are hopeful that the new Committee leadership will share our interest in better management of our forests, combating the opioid crisis in Indian Country, achieving energy dominance, and improving public lands infrastructure," she said.

The EPA can expect to face heavy scrutiny as well from Frank Pallone, the New Jersey Democrat and vocal administration critic who's in line to wield the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee gavel come January.

“We look forward to working with Congress and continuing to carry out President Trump’s environmental agenda that has delivered the cleanest air in the world and a growing economy," EPA Spokesman John Konkus said.

Grijalva said his short-term goals include blocking several bills that would weaken the Endangered Species Act and boosting budgets for environmental regulation.

And he wants answers to numerous questions he and his Democratic colleagues have been posing to the administration on various issues for months, such as how the agency decided to expand mineral extraction and what role industry played.

He's also interested in various investigations Interior's Inspector General has launched into Zinke's conduct including one that reportbly was referred to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution. That case concerns Zinke’s involvement in a Whitefish, Montana land development deal, according to the Washington Post.

"It's not so much a 'gotcha moment' with Zinke and Interior," Grijalva said. "Its about exercising oversight ... This Congress, this majority, is going to exercise their co-equal status to do real accountability."