Our Three Bills Headed for a House Vote

• February 6, 2020
• CalWild

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on H.R. 2546, the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act, as early as Wednesday, February 12th. Until that time, we’re urging supporters to write their member of Congress and push them to vote for H.R. 2546. The legislation contains three bills that CalWild has worked for several years to pass and another we’re very supportive of:

• Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation and Working Forests Act (formerly H.R. 2250) sponsored by Rep. Jared Huffman would promote forest restoration and fuel-reduction work across over 700,000 acres of public land, protect over 313,000 acres as wilderness, protect 379 miles of stream as wild and scenic rivers, authorize the construction of over 295 miles of new trails open to horses, hikers and mountain bikes, and help fully restore the thousands of sites on public lands affected by illegal marijuana cultivation.
• Central Coast Heritage Protection Act (formerly HR 2199) sponsored by Rep. Salud Carbajal would protect 244,909 acres of federal land as wilderness, establish two scenic areas, and protect 159 miles of stream as wild and scenic rivers in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.

• San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act (formerly H.R. 2215) sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu would expand the existing San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County by 109,143 acres, establish a 51,000-acre San Gabriel Foothills and River National Recreation Area adjacent to and downstream of the Monument, protect 31,000 acres of land as wilderness, and 46 miles of stream as wild and scenic rivers.
• Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act (formerly H.R. 1708) sponsored by Adam Schiff that would add more than 191,000 acres of the Rim of the Valley Corridor to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA). The Rim of the Valley stretches from the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains to the Verdugo Hills and on to the San Gabriel Mountains.

These bills have strong local support in the regions they benefit. The bills will protect priceless wild country as wilderness, including habitat for a long list of endangered species, protect some of California’s wildest remaining streams from dam construction, including waters critical to the survival of salmon and steelhead trout, and also benefit public recreation by authorizing hundreds of miles of new trails. The bills accomplish this while addressing fire management and other important concerns.

Please ask your member of the House of Representatives to vote in support of H.R. 2546!