Last week, the House of representatives passed the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, which includes eight previously individual measures that provide lasting protections for key public lands and waters in the states of Arizona, Colorado, California, and Washington.  The package passed mostly along party lines on a vote of 227-200, with eight Republicans voting in favor.  The White House has strongly supported the legislation, viewing it as a key component of its agenda to expand the conservation of public lands and waters as well as address climate change. However, the bill could face an uphill battle in the U.S. Senate, where it would need 60 votes to avoid a filibuster. 

For California, the package includes four bills designed to enhance public lands recreation opportunities in the state.  The projects authorized under this package in RCRC-member counties include: a new 400-mile trail along the central coast to connect northern and southern wilderness areas in the Los Padres National Forest; and, in northwest California, a total of 306,500 acres would be protected through wilderness designation.