By John Hankins
In an important multi-purpose action, the House passed the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2021 fiscal year by a margin of 295-125 on July 21. The must-pass bill provides funding and oversight for the nation’s defense and security needs but also includes the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act. “What the House has done, by inserting the bill into must-pass legislation, is force the Senate’s consideration. Protection under the Wild and Scenic River and Wilderness Acts has just become much more likely this year,” said Rebecca August of Los Padres ForestWatch, who is also our chapter’s rep in the Arguello Group (Northern SB County). “We are on a roll,” said Jim Hines, our chapter’s vice-chair, as the NDAA also carries the Protecting America’s Wilderness Act as an amendment. A total of six outdoor bills that protect various areas in the west (called ‘titles’) are part of the Wilderness amendment, most affecting our region. Go here for a synopsis.
The Heritage and Wilderness acts are valuable to our Central Coast region and are supported by Rep. Salud Carbajal; they now go to the House and Senate to negotiate their respective bills to finalize amendments, most likely after the August recess. The companion Public Lands Act is also mixed in, introduced by Sen. Kamala Harris.
Hines said the acts would affect these local lands:
~ Pine Mountain-Reyes Peak proposed clearcutting project over 250 acres. The project site is now just outside of a new federal wilderness area, so this designation would not stop the clearcutting, but since it’s close to the wilderness area, we have a strong argument that we need a protected buffer. ForestWatch has provided this link to lobby the Forest Service to protect that ridge area.
~ Los Padres National Forest lands, the Carrizo Plain and the Rim of the Valley Corridor Protection Act (affecting wildlife corridor and open space lands in Ventura and LA counties).
~ Uranium mine proposal in the Los Padres above Lake Casitas. The bill expands the existing Matilija Wilderness Area south to include federal lands in the Lake Casitas Watershed (where the mine is proposed). “The southern expansion also includes lands which made up part of my ancestors’ ranch in the area which now is Lake Casitas and the Los Padres NF; it would nice to see the land that I grew up on protected forever,” Hines said.
~ In a separate action on July 23, the House voted to approve the Great American Outdoors Act 310-107; the Senate passed it 73-25 in June. President Trump has pledged to sign it. Over five years, it would set up to $9.5 billion for backlogged maintenance, road, and facilities for the National Park Service, which is expected to create a possible 100,000 jobs, not counting the boost to businesses in nearby communities. “It would also set up a royalty fee on federal offshore oil gas and oil drilling with the monies used for land acquisition for national public lands and set up grants for local cities and counties to use for outdoor recreation purposes,” Hines added.
There is also a possible side effect to all this bipartisan, environmental action, according to Hines. “We are also slowing down the vote to approve anti federal lands zealot William Pendley, who was nominated by the President to lead the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Pendley has made his stated goal to sell off YOUR national public lands in the western U.S. a top priority.” “A number of Republican U.S. Senators up for election this November are now concerned about how their support for Trump's nominee will impact their re-election chances”.
“All of our lobbying even during these times of stay at home and lobbying remotely has finally paid off,” he concluded.