Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Joshua Tree National Park Expansion Act, which would do two things: expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park by 20,000 acres and rename the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree in honor of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein.

In 2016, the National Park Service, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, prepared the Eagle Mountain Boundary Study for an area within the Eagle Mountains, located in Riverside County, CA. The purpose of the study and environmental assessment was to consider whether to expand Joshua Tree National Park to include additional lands, and to develop alternatives for protecting cultural, natural, and scenic resources related to the purpose of the National Park.

NPS' selected alternative recommends expanding the National Park by the more than 20,000 acres of federally managed lands covered by my legislation. Notably, these lands are adjacent to the National Park. NPS found that doing so could allow for greater protection of existing habitat, restoration opportunities, and landscape connectivity for wildlife such as bighorn sheep, as well as new visitor opportunities.

In addition to the expansion of the park, this bill would celebrate Senator Feinstein's historic legacy of protecting the California desert--including the creation of Joshua Tree National Park itself--by renaming a visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park in her honor.

Senator Feinstein was known as a great protector of the California desert, and some have lovingly referred to her as the ``Queen of the Desert.'' Senator Feinstein was the driving force behind the establishment of Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, the Mojave National Preserve, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, the Mojave Trails National Monument, the Sand to Snow National Monument, and the Castle Mountains National Monument. In all, it is estimated that Senator Feinstein protected over 3 million acres of the California desert.

In 2019, on the 25th anniversary of the passage of Senator Feinstein's landmark ``California Desert Protection Act,'' Senator Feinstein wrote: ``When I think of the California desert, I think of magnificent landscapes and mountain vistas. I think of beautiful species like bighorn sheep, mule deer and desert tortoises. I think of unique vegetation like the beautiful wildflower blooms and iconic Joshua trees. And I think of the long history of local Native American tribes. The California desert is a true American treasure. Our efforts over the past 25 years have resulted in the largest areas of public lands protected in the lower 48 states--that is something truly to celebrate.''

I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this legislation as soon as possible. ______

By Mr. BARRASSO (for himself, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Ricketts, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Hagerty):

S. 1783. A bill to support financing of affordable and reliable energy projects by international financial institutions, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

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