Protecting California's Coast

The recommendation of President Bush's Energy Policy Development Group to increase oil and gas drilling on federal lands and in federal waters was deeply troubling to me. To implement this strategy, the Administration is fighting in the courts to extend 36 oil and gas leases off the California coast. I've been doing everything I can to persuade the Administration to abandon this policy. I led my colleagues in writing to the President to ask him to drop his court case and urged him to buy back oils leases in California, as he did in Florida.

California has had some success in Congress and in the courts. I supported an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2003 Interior Appropriations bill, barring the development of the 36 leases for one year. The amendment passed on a vote of 252-172; however, Congress did not pass the final version of this bill so the amendment did not become law. On December 2, 2002, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed a lower court ruling in California's suit to stop the development of 36 off shore oil and gas drilling leases (click here to view the decision).

Forest Protection

I've introduced the Act to Save America's Forests (H.R. 5279) This bill calls for the end to clearcut logging, promotes more environmentally friendly and economically sustainable logging, and provides strong protection for the last remaining core areas of forest biodiversity in the United States, including old-growth forests and all roadless areas. The bill preserves native biodiversity on federal forestlands and changes how we protect and treat our public lands. I'm proud to have 122 of my House colleagues as cosponsors of this bill. I've also cosponsored the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act (H.R. 4865) to implement the "roadless rule" without changes that will weaken it. The "roadless rule", proposed by President Clinton, limits logging on approximately 58 million acres of federal forestland, which are among the last areas of native biodiversity in the U.S.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area Expansion

I'm an original cosponsor of H.R. 1953 legislation to expand the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) by 4,800 acres. The bill adds the 4,262 acre Rancho Corral de Tierra near El Granada and approximately 500 acres at Devil's Slide to the GGNRA. The Peninsula Open Space Trust has negotiated the acquisition of this property. Preserving some of the most important lands in the region, the bill also protects important habitat for several threatened and endangered plant and animal species, including coho salmon and steelhead trout. This legislation represents an important opportunity to preserve national park-quality land in our region, one of the largest and fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the nation. It builds upon my successful efforts to secure $10.5 million in federal funds to purchase the Phleger Estate and add it to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Protecting the Arctic Refuge

I'm an original cosponsor of H.R. 770, Morris K. Udall Arctic Wilderness Act, to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from oil and gas drilling.

Expanding Environmental Preservation and Recreational Opportunities

I'm proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 701, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, which dedicates permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the Urban Parks Recreation and Recovery Program, as well as open-space protection in our local community. Passage of this legislation would finally provide the critical resources needed for some of our most important land-protection programs.

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)

To reduce pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we must reduce the amount of fuel we burn. I introduced H.R. 2614, the Safety and Fuel Economy (SAFE) Act which increases the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard from 27.5 miles per gallon (for cars) and 20.7 mpg (for SUVs and light trucks) to a combined standard of 40 mpg by 2012. The existing standards have not been revised since 1986. My bill will save 269 billion gallons of gasoline (6.4 billion barrels of oil) by 2015 - more than can be extracted from ANWR. It also cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 529 million tons over the same period.

MTBE

The gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) has leached into 10,000 ground water sites in California. I've introduced H.R. 2270 which allows California to stop using gasoline with MTBE without sacrificing any of the air quality achievements it provides. Every member of the California Congressional Delegation - Democrats and Republicans - cosponsored my bill. Although the bill was defeated when it was considered on the floor of the House as an amendment to a comprehensive national energy bill, H.R. 4, I continue to work with colleagues from other states who are struggling with MTBE contamination to resolve this problem.

Bair Island

In 1999 I was successful in securing federal funding to purchase Bair Island and add it to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Working with the Peninsula Open Space Trust, Citizens to Complete the Refuge, and thousands of constituents, we were able to preserve 1,600 acres of critical wetlands for future generations. This action sustains a critical habitat for 123 species of birds, 13 species of mammals, and 63 species of fish. With only 15% of Bay wetlands remaining, we must continue to make strides to protect our region's fragile environment.

South San Francisco Bay Wetlands Acquisition from Cargill, Inc.

I led my California House colleagues in securing $8 million for the purchase of thousands of acres of precious San Francisco Bay wetlands from Cargill, Inc. in 2000. In 2001, the entire Bay Area delegation joined me in an effort to secure further federal support for the acquisition. With federal seed-money and support, the state and federal government along with four prominent California foundations (the Hewlett, Packard, Moore, and Goldman Foundations) are poised to complete a package to acquire approximately 16,000 acres of southern Bay lands for inclusion in the Don Edward San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In order to ensure the success of this purchase and protect taxpayers from undue expense, we have to have a long-term strategy for the restoration of these lands and funding to accomplish our goals. I'm continuing to work to ensure that we make the most of this unique opportunity which will set the stage for the largest wetland restoration on the Pacific Coast of North America.