Garamendi Testifies Before House Subcommittee on his “Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act”

WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands on his bill, the "Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act" (H.R.6366).

The legislation, which Garamendi introduced with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), would expand the existing Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include approximately 3,925 acres of adjacent public land administered by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Lake County, known previously as the "Walker Ridge" tract. The legislation would not impact privately owned, state, tribal, or non-federal land in any way.

A video of Garamendi's testimony is available here.

"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 Lake County. Walker Ridge is one of those special places, and I am thrilled to continue working in Congress to conserve this unique landscape for future generations of Californians to enjoy," Garamendi said.

"My ‘Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act' also ensures that federally recognized tribes are consulted throughout the process to ensure Native American voices play an active role in protecting public lands," Garamendi continued.

"Thank you to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands for allowing me to testify on this critically important legislation, and thank you to my colleague, Congressman Mike Thompson, for partnering with me to introduce the ‘Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act.' We will both work tirelessly to ensure this legislation becomes law," Garamendi concluded.

Specifically, the "Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act" (H.R.6366)—would:

• Modify the boundary of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include the Lake County portion of Walker Ridge.
• Require a map of the National Monument expansion to be publicly available on BLM website.
• Direct the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to complete the management plan within 1 year of enactment. To date, the management planning is still unfinished since the designation of the National Monument in 2015.
• Require federal land management agencies to consult with federally recognized tribes in developing the management plan and its implementation.
• Outline parameters for continued, meaningful engagement with federally recognized tribes for implementation of the management plan.