During the holiday break, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s, The Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act. This is the first time this legislative package has been reported out of a Senate committee. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for a final vote!
The PUBLIC Lands Act consists of three bills that have also been re-introduced in the House of Representatives including:
The Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act, which is led in the House by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02),
The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, which is led in the House by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), and
The San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act, which is led in the House by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28).
The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act would designate approximately 250,000 acres of public land in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument as wilderness, the highest form of federal protection available.
Many of our elected representatives shared their enthusiasm for the bill’s advancement. “I am thrilled that the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act continues to gain momentum in Congress. After passing the House in bipartisan votes over my previous terms, it is exciting to see the Senate sharing our interest in adding these protections for our public lands” said Congressman Carbajal. The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act has passed the U.S House of Representatives five times over his tenure in Congress but has not shared the same momentum in the U.S Senate.
We are excited to see what this year has in store and look forward to supporting our elected officials in passing important legislation such as this PUBLIC Lands Act.
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