On the recordJuly 28, 2022
Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the Western Riverside County National Wildlife Refuge Act, along with my California colleague, Senator Alex Padilla. As our country's population grows, so does the need for infrastructure like housing and highways. However, we must find a way to balance the needs of growth with the preservation of our natural resources, including endangered species habitat and green space for the health and safety of our communities. Senator Padilla and I are proud this legislation would accomplish those goals by creating a Federal wildlife refuge in western Riverside County as part of a collaborative land management plan created by Riverside County. The newly created wildlife refuge would provide expanded recreation, conservation, and educational opportunities for the local community-- one of the fastest growing in the Nation. This legislation builds off Riverside County's multiple species habitat conservation plan, allowing land that has already been acquired by the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority to be included in the new Federal wildlife refuge this bill would create. Our bill would establish a new unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System--the Western Riverside County National Wildlife Refuge.…





