Calif. Dems reintroduce Golden State wilderness package

The legislation would designate nearly 600,000 acres of new wilderness in California.

May 26, 2023

California Democrats reintroduced a sweeping package that aims to protect more than 1 million acres in the state’s public lands.

The bill, the "Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act," would designate nearly 600,000 acres of new wilderness, according to a press release Thursday from Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who introduced the bill with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

“Our public lands and natural spaces are some of our state’s greatest gifts,” Padilla said, adding that protecting the environment also must include reversing racial and economic disparities in access to outdoors.

The bill would designate more than 583 miles of new wild and scenic rivers and more than 100,000 acres of expanded national monument. Padilla specified that some of the protected land would serve densely populated areas of the state that don’t have access to nature.

Feinstein added that “California’s landscapes — from our iconic desert to our snow-capped mountains to our majestic coast — face numerous threats including climate change and urban sprawl.”

The measure was last introduced in 2021. It contained a trio of three bills that passed the House with some Republican support. Padilla at the time expressed optimism about its fate in the Senate — saying “protecting our environment should be and is a bipartisan effort.”

The 2021 House package bundled together the "Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation and Working Forests Act" from Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the "Central Coast Heritage Protection Act" from Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), and the "San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act" from Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.).


By:  Kelsey Brugger
Source: E&E Daily