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Floor Speech

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Scarper Ridge Golden Gate National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Act, a straightforward, uncontroversial bill to adjust the boundary of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

This bill would modify the boundary of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, GGNRA, to include the approximately 896-acre Scarper Ridge property. This land is currently owned by the Peninsula Open Space Trust, who would like to sell this land to the National Park Service to include within the GGNRA.

The GGNRA is one of the world's largest urban national parks, spanning three counties and more than 82,000 acres of coastal and urban lands. According to the National Park Service, the GGNRA is an assemblage of military, private, and public lands which altogether offer vast skylines, natural beauty, and diverse histories to locals and visitors alike. The GGNRA welcomes over 15 million visitors each year and strives to be an accessible recreational area for all people.

Thanks to continuing efforts by the Peninsula Open Space Trust, local partners, Congressman Liccardo, former Congresswoman Eshoo, and my predecessors in the Senate, Congress has previously awarded funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to purchase additional land to be included within the GGNRA.

However, the lands included in my bill--known as the Scarper Ridge property--require a minor legislative boundary adjustment in order for the National Park Service to use future Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars to purchase this property and include it within the park.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this commonsense, straightforward boundary adjustment bill as soon as possible. ______

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