Colorado Wilderness Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARBAJAL. Madam Chair, I thank Representative DeGette for yielding and for her leadership on this very important legislation.

I am honored to represent the central coast of California, one of the most beautiful districts in the Nation.

Places like the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument contain some of the most stunning, unique, and diverse ecosystems found anywhere in North America.

Today, I am pleased to support H.R. 2546, the Protecting America's Wilderness Act. This bill would preserve the ecological beauty and recreational activities available to communities in my district and beyond as well as for future generations.

This legislation includes my bill, H.R. 2199, the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act. I am proud to have worked with Chairman Grijalva and Representative DeGette and local stakeholders to ensure that California's central coast was included in this measure.

Title III of this legislation would designate and place into conservation nearly 250,000 acres as wilderness within the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument as wilderness areas, one of the highest forms of protections available.

This is a major step to preserve and protect our community's future for future generations, allows for responsible forest management and firefighting activities.

It also creates a 400-mile-long Condor National Recreation Trail, connecting the northern and southern portions of the Los Padres National Forest by a single hiking route.

This legislation has been the result of years of collaboration with local stakeholders. It is supported by nearly 500 central coast landowners, businesses, farmers, and local officials. This reaffirms that protecting our environment and growing our economy are not mutually exclusive.

Our public lands are an essential asset to our local economies. In California alone, the outdoor recreation economy is worth $92 billion and employs over 650,000 individuals.

I want to thank Chairman Grijalva, Representative DeGette, and the committee for their support of this legislation.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and continue uplifting local businesses and local economies that rely on outdoor recreation.

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Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Chair, I thank Mr. Panetta for offering this important amendment which further clarifies that nothing in this bill would hinder any fuels management or fire suppression activities on our public lands.

I represent the central coast of California, and we have seen our share of wildfires. I believe that, if we can take preventative measures to address any wildfire risks, we should.

As a former county supervisor for Santa Barbara County, I have experienced firsthand the obstacles and challenges of balancing red tape and coordinating amongst stakeholders. As a supervisor, I helped implement the first community wildfire protection plan in Santa Barbara County.

I support Representative Panetta's amendment because it reaffirms that this legislation would not interfere with any firefighting or fuels management activities. The underlying bill we are debating here today would not do that. Specifically, section 305(b) of my bill explicitly addresses these concerns.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment as well.

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