Huffman, Garamendi, Thompson, Padilla Introduce San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act

Boundary Modification Would Not Affect Private Landownership or Land Use

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02), John Garamendi (CA-08), and Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), introduced the "San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act" (H.R.9826).

This legislation would expand the National Wildlife Refuge to include adjacent baylands owned by the State of California and nonprofit Sonoma Land Trust. It would not affect private land ownership or local land use decisions in any way and expressly prohibits the use of eminent domain by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to expand the National Wildlife Refuge. In September 2023, the lawmakers announced a public comment period on this draft legislation to expand the National Wildlife Refuge.

“The San Pablo Bay Wildlife Refuge is home to some of the North Bay’s most vital habitats – serving as a safe haven for threatened species, increasing the region’s climate resiliency, and providing outdoor recreation opportunities for folks in the Bay Area. As a time-tested proponent of land conservation, I think this area is the perfect candidate for expansion,” said Representative Huffman. “Our bill will restore and expand this land so it can thrive for generations to come.”

"Conserving California's special places has been a lifelong passion throughout my tenure in the state legislature, as Deputy Secretary of the Interior to President Clinton, and now as a member of Congress representing Solano County. San Pablo Bay is one of those special places. Our bill will help to restore the saltmarshes in San Pablo Bay for future generations. Expanding the National Wildlife Refuge is part of my ongoing work in Congress to support the redevelopment of historic Mare Island for Bay Area residents and visitors alike, while revitalizing its shipbuilding industry," said Garamendi.

“The San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge hosts a rich wetland ecosystem and offers numerous recreational activities,” said Senator Padilla. “Expanding the refuge’s boundary by over 5,500 acres would both protect Northern California tidal marshes to support wildlife and advance California’s ambitious conservation goals.”

“San Pablo Bay is an essential part of California, and protecting local saltmarshes and baylands is a priority for Bay Area lawmakers and communities,” said Representative Thompson. “I’m honored to introduce The San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act with Congressman Garamendi, Congressman Huffman, and Senator Padilla to ensure we protect the health and longevity of our region’s natural resources for generations to come.”

The approximately 5,658 acres of state-owned and privately owned conservation land proposed for addition to the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge are as follows:

The “San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act" (H.R.9826) would also direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to enter into cooperative agreements with state agencies, like California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, to manage the federal National Wildlife Refuge and nearby state conservation lands at landscape scale within the San Pablo Bay watershed. As with all National Wildlife Refuges, the legislation ensures that federally owned land within the expanded San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge boundary remain open to the public for outdoor recreation including hunting and fishing where permitted.

The Great American Outdoors Act (Public Law 116-152) authorizes $900 million every year in permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This funding, at no cost to taxpayers, allows agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to purchase land or conservation easements from willing sellers. These funds complement the more than $88 million from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund available under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act(Public Law 101-233) to expand the National Wildlife Refuge System. These funds are available to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to purchase land or conservation easements from willing sellers in the Napa River and Sonoma Creek watersheds, which drain into San Pablo Bay.

The San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge currently encompasses 24,390 acres, much of which is over water. The Congressmen’s proposed 5,658-acre expansion would increase the National Wildlife Refuge’s acreage by more than 23 percent, supporting President Biden’s “America the Beautiful” National Conservation Goal to protect and conserve at least 30 percent of the lands and waters in the United States by 2030 and Governor Newsom’s similar conservation goal for the State of California.

The full text of the legislation is available HERE.

The map of the proposed boundary expansion is available HERE.

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