Bill Advances Out of Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced that his bill, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act - legislation sponsored by California Senator Dianne Feinstein in the U.S. Senate -- passed the full Senate Energy and Resources Committee today. On March 4, 2003, Rep. Schiff testified before the Senate Energy and Resources Subcommittee on National Parks along with Santa Monica Conservancy Executive Director, Joseph Edmiston. The Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act would explore the possibility of adding the Rim of the Valley Corridor in Southern California to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
"We reached a key milestone today on protecting the Rim of the Valley," Rep. Schiff said today. "With the full weight of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee behind this bill, I am optimistic and confident that we are well on our way to protecting Southern California's environmental treasures for years to come. Given the tremendous growth pressures in Southern California, it's crucial that we create a lasting legacy of nearby natural open space for our children - and their children - to enjoy."
Specifically, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act would direct the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to evaluate the feasibility of expanding the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor. The National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service would jointly study the suitability of more than doubling the size of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area by encompassing this corridor, which contains areas of rare Mediterranean ecosystems and encircles the mountains above the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi, and Conejo valleys, as well as the Arroyo Seco.
The National Park Service oversees the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the world's largest urban park as designated by Congress in 1978, spanning from the Ventura Freeway westward to the Pacific Ocean. Inclusion of the Rim of the Valley corridor would link wildlife habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains to the Angeles National Forest.
The Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act would require the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service to jointly study expanding this National Recreation Area. The Act requires the Secretaries to consult with state, county, and local governments, and to report their recommendations to Congress within three years. An Act of Congress would then be required to designate any new addition to the Park System. In the 107th Congress, this legislation was successfully reported out of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee in November 2002, but did not reach the House floor.
Several environmental organizations support the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act, including the Altadena Foothills Conservancy, the California Wilderness Coalition, Scenic America, and the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, as well as the cities of La Canada Flintridge, Glendale, Pasadena, and South Pasadena. In the House, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act enjoys bipartisan support from original cosponsors, California Reps. Howard Berman, David Dreier, George Miller, Brad Sherman, and Hilda Solis.
Rep. Schiff represents California’s 29th Congressional District, including the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City.