Michael Burgess: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Part of one of the underlying bills, H.R. 2546, the Protecting America's…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Part of one of the underlying bills, H.R. 2546, the Protecting America's Wilderness Act, includes language to expand the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area by some 191,000 acres, an area known as the Rim of the Valley Corridor. In 2008, Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior to study whether to designate all or a portion of the Rim of the Valley Corridor as part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. In 2016, the National Park Service recommended an expansion of 173,000 acres. The bill today expands the area by more than that to 191,000 acres, including new areas that were not listed in the study. They are completely disconnected from the Rim of the Valley Corridor; yet they are included in the exclusion. {time} 1300 In addition, the National Park Service testified in June 2019 against the proposed expansion of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, citing a need to focus resources on the deferred maintenance backlog. The proposed land expansion would include Soledad Canyon, a mineral- rich area where the Bureau of Land Management has issued contracts to mine millions of tons of sand and gravel for southern California. Our strong economy has led to an increase in manufacturing and construction. The problem is that the supply of construction materials, like those that can be found in this area, is declining.…”