The Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act would add nearly 200,000 acres to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. (map courtesy of the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein)

On Dec. 12, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, a bill introduced by U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (all D-California) to add more than 191,000 acres of the Rim of the Valley Corridor to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

“Nearly half of Californians live within two hours of the Rim of the Valley Corridor, but few have explored the wild open spaces that surround it,” Feinstein said. “Expanding the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area will create more outdoor recreational opportunities and increase access to public lands for millions of residents of Los Angeles County, one of the most park-poor counties in the state. The committee vote is a win for our local economies, our local wildlife – like bobcats, mountain lions and golden eagles whose sensitive habitat this bill protects – and the generations of Southern Californians who want to enjoy the unspoiled natural beauty of the Rim of the Valley Corridor.”

Harris called the Rim of the Valley Corridor “an area of immense natural beauty and wildlife.”

“That is why I was proud to join my colleagues to introduce the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act to help preserve this area so it can be enjoyed by future generations,” Harris said.

Schiff called the Senate committee’s vote “an important step on the path towards enactment, following passage in the House Natural Resources Committee.”

“I thank Senators Feinstein and Harris for their leadership in pursuing passage of this legislation to more than double the size of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, preserving open space and the natural beauty of our region. It is exciting to see the bill one step closer to becoming law,” Schiff said.

The legislation gives the National Park Service the authority to add more than 191,000 acres of the Rim of the Valley Corridor to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area; implement capital improvements, including new trails, roads and public facilities; monitor and study wildlife and ecosystems; participate in cooperative conservation and recreation planning; provide technical assistance for resource protection and recreation planning; contribute financially to projects that protect important natural resources; and acquire land through donation, exchange or purchase.