Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. 2715, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act, directing the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of expanding the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the mountains and canyons in Southern California that are part of the Rim of the Valley Corridor designated by the State of California.
For many families, the mountains above our communities are a nearby haven to enjoy nature, a refuge from the noise and commotion of Los Angeles. The National Park Service oversees the highly successful Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the world's largest urban park, spanning from the mountains to the sea and protected in perpetuity by Congress in 1978. In the Santa Monica Mountains, Park Service rangers work with state and local authorities and community groups on conservation and recreation projects.
I am introducing the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act in an effort to bring back federal resources and expertise to the mountains above the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi and Conejo valleys as well as the famed Arroyo Seco canyon, home of Pasadena's Rose Bowl. Our mountains can and should be places where city-dwellers can easily go to enjoy such activities as hiking, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, observing wildlife or even just to admire nature's scenic beauty, up close or afar from our communities.
The Secretary of the Interior would complete the study within one to three years, consulting an advisory committee of representatives of the Los Angeles Mayor, Los Angeles County Supervisors, Ventura County Supervisors, and City Councils of Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Malibu, Calabasas, Burbank, Glendale, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Santa Clarita, Moorpark, as well as others. It would then be necessary for Congress to enact subsequent legislation to implement the recommendations of the study.
I am pleased to report that this legislation has bipartisan support. With Reps. Howard Berman, David Dreier, Elton Gallegly, Howard "Buck'' McKeon, Brad Sherman and Hilda Solis as principal cosponsors of the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act, every Member of Congress whose district includes portions of the Rim of the Valley Corridor is supporting the legislation. It is my hope that the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act will result in an initiative creating a lasting legacy of nearby natural open space for our children--and their children--to enjoy.