Colorado Wilderness Act of 2021
Floor Speech
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Ms. BROWNLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 803, the Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act.
This bill incorporates two important pieces of legislation that will preserve the natural beauty of public lands and improve access to recreational opportunities in my congressional district in Ventura County and California.
The first is the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, which I joined Congressman Salud Carbajal in introducing. The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act will protect more than 25,000 acres in the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument by designating these lands as wilderness.
It also designates the Condor Trail within Los Padres as a National Recreational Trail. This is a beautiful trail that is 400 miles long. You can hike from Ventura County to Santa Barbara County surrounded by great and unique beauty.
The second piece of legislation is the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, which would add more than 191,000 acres to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area. If you ever want to hike to a beautiful 180-degree view of the Pacific Ocean, this is your place. Much of the land is in Ventura County, and I am grateful for Congressman Adam Schiff's efforts to advance this bill through the years.
Overall, H.R. 803 is an important downpayment on a commitment that many of us made to help conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands by 2030.
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Ms. BROWNLEY. Mr. Speaker, in Ventura County, my constituents and I are so fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful public spaces. The public lands provisions in this bill will strengthen our region's commitment to sound environmental stewardship and preserve an important part of our natural heritage for future generations to enjoy.
I know we all agree on the importance of being good stewards of our country's natural lands. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 803.
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