HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-03-09 - AGENDA REPORTS - FED LEGISLATION: HOUSE RESO 1075 (2)O
Agenda Item: 8
P
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:1
DATE: March 9, 2021
SUBJECT: FEDERAL LEGISLATION: HOUSE RESOLUTION 1075
DEPARTMENT: City Manager's Office
PRESENTER: Masis Hagobian
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council adopt the City Council Legislative Committee recommendation to support House
Resolution 1075 (Schiff) and transmit position statements to Representative Adam Schiff, Santa
Clarita's federal legislative delegation, members of applicable congressional committees, other
Members of Congress, administration officials, and interested organizations, as appropriate.
BACKGROUND
Authored by Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA-28), House Resolution 1075, also known as the
Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act proposes to expand the Santa Monica Mountains
National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) to include the proposed Rim of the Valley Unit.
In 2008, Congress passed the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act, introduced by
Representative Adam Schiff. This bill directed the National Park Service to conduct a special
resource study of the Rim of the Valley Corridor, which includes the mountains encircling the
Santa Clarita, San Fernando, La Crescenta, Simi, and Conejo Valleys. The study sought to
determine the suitability and feasibility of designating all or a portion of the Rim of the Valley
Corridor as a unit of the existing SMMNRA, and how these areas could be better managed and
preserved.
The National Park Service began the study in 2010 and transmitted its final report to Congress
and the public in February 2016. In this study, the National Park Service recommended to
Congress to more than double the size of SMMNRA to include a very significant portion of the
Rim of the Valley study area.
The current size of SMMNRA is approximately 154,000 acres. The Rim of the Valley Corridor
Preservation Act proposes to add more than 191,000 acres of the proposed Rim of the Valley
Unit to SMMNRA, including lands within the Santa Clarita Valley. In broad terms, the Santa
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Clarita Valley lands included within the legislation are those areas located between State Route
14 and the Angeles National Forest (southern unit) in the Newhall, Canyon Country, Soledad
Canyon, and Agua Dulce areas.
This bill will enable the National Park Service to better protect natural resources and habitats,
and provide members of the community with improved access to nature for recreational and
educational purposes.
The Santa Clarita City Council supported similar pieces of legislation during the 115th and 116th
Congress, based on recommendations of the City Council's Legislative Committee.
The recommendation to support is consistent with the City of Santa Clarita 2021 Executive and
Legislative Platform. Specifically, Component 1 under the "Federal" section advises that the City
Council "Support legislation seeking to implement the Rim of the Valley Corridor Special
Resource Study; containing boundary adjustments that include portions of the Santa Clarita
Valley, but does not eliminate or limit current authority of the City of Santa Clarita."
House Resolution 1075 is pending its first hearing in the House of Representatives Committee on
Natural Resources. This legislation was included in House Resolution 803, the Protecting
America's Wilderness & Public Lands Act, which passed the House of Representatives with
bipartisan support on February 26, 2021.
Representative Mike Garcia (R-25-Santa Clarita) joined as a co-sponsor on House Resolution
1075 and voted in support of House Resolution 803.
The City Council Legislative Committee met on February 26, 2021, and recommends that the
City Council adopt a "support" position on House Resolution 1075.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
1. Adopt a "neutral" position on House Resolution 1075
2. Adopt an "oppose" position on House Resolution 1075
3. Take no action on House Resolution 1075
4. Refer House Resolution 1075 back to the Legislative Committee
5. Other action, as determined by the City Council
FISCAL IMPACT
The resources required to implement the recommended action are contained within the City of
Santa Clarita's adopted FY 2020-21 budget.
ATTACHMENTS
House Resolution 1075 - Bill Text
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117TII CONGRESS
1ST 'SESSION
H. R.
....................................................................
(01-i'im it sign mhm-e of _Member)
To adjust the bounclal-- of the Santa doilies Alountains Natiolml Reci•eation
Ai -ea to inehide the Rini of the VAleY C01.1•idor•, mid for- other. purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
All.. S('IIIFF introdneed the followiil- bill. which «-as 1 eferred to the Conlnlittee
011
A BILL
To a(tiust the boundary- of the Santa Monica Mountains
National Recreation Area to include the hire of the
Valley Corridor, and for other purposes.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
2 tives of the United States gfAinerica in Congress assembled,
3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
4 This Act may be cited as the "hire of the Valley Cor•-
5 r•idor• Preservation Act".
6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
7 Congress finds as follows:
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1 (1) The Santa Monica Mountains National
2 Recreation Area Avas authorized as a unlit of the Na-
3 tional Park System on November 10, 1978.
4 (2) The Santa Monica Mountains and the Rim
5 of the Vallev Corridor include-
6 (A) nationally significant resources-
7 (i) outstanding examples of geologic
8 history, including the evolution of the
9 Transverse Ranges Pr'o`lnnee;
10 (ii) a diversity of «-ell-preserved ma-
ll rine and terrestrial paleontological re-
12 sources; and
13 (iii) high biodiversity, including out-
14 standing examples of native grasslands,
15 coastal sage scrub, chaparral, dry connif-
16 erous forests, and alhuviann farm sage scrub,
17 and
18 (P>) nationally significant cultural re-
19 sources that represent a «vide range, of themes
20 related to human use and settlement in the re-
21 gion-
22 (i) high concentrations of archeo-
23 logical resources that provide insight into
24 more than 10,000 years of Native 1lnrner-
25 icann history; and
5
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1 (ii) landmarks that represent topics
2 such as architecture, recreation, and space,
3 exploration.
4 (3) Expanding the Santa Monica Mountains
5 National Recreation Area «-ould pro`-ide new oppor-
6 tunities for the National Park Sen ice to serve, a
7 broad range, of urban communities, including many
8 that are, underrepresented in national parks and un-
9 derserved by State, and local parks.
10 SEC. 3. BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT; LAND ACQUISITION; AD -
II MINISTRATION.
12 (a) I>Ot7 »xy Ai).jt-�TrAIE.NT.—Seetiorr 507(c)(1) of
13 the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 (16
14 U.S.(v. 460kk(c)(1)) is amended in the first sentence by
15 striking ", which shall" and inserting " and generally de-
16 pitted as `Rim of the Valle- Unit Proposed Addition' on
17 the map entitled `Rim of the Valle- Unit —Santa Monica
18 Mountains National Recreation Area', numbered 6 38/
19 147,723, and darted September 2018. both maps shall".
20 (b) RIAI OF THE VALLEY UNIT. —Section 507 of the
21 National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C.
22 460kk) is amended by adding at the end the following:
23 "(u) RIAI OF THE VALLEY UNIT. —(I) Not later than
24 3 years after the date, of the enactment of this subsection,
25 the Secretary shall update, the general management plan
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1 for the recreation area to reflect the boundaries designated
2 on the reap referred to in subsection (c) (1) as the `hire
3 of the Valle- Unit' (hereafter in the subsection referred
4 to as the `hire of the Valle- Unit'). Subject to valid exist-
5 ing rights, the Secretary- shall administer the hire of the
6 Vallev Unit, and and- land or interest in land acquired by
7 the United States and located within the boundaries of
8 the hire of the Valley Unit, as part of the recreation area
9 in accordance «-ith the pro`-isions of this section and appli-
10 cable laws and regulations.
11 "(2) The Secretary- may acquire non -Federal land
12 within the boundaries of the hire of the Valle- Unit only
13 through exchange, donation, or purchase from a willing
14 seller. Nothing in this subsection authorizes the use of
15 eminent domain to acquire land or interests in land.
16 "(3) Nothing in this subsection or the application of
17 the management plan for the hire of the Valle- Unit shall
18 be construed to-
19 "(A) modify any pro`-ision of Federal, State, or
20 local law «-ith respect to public access to or use of
21 non -Federal land,
22 "(P,) create any liability-, or affect any liability-
23 under any other law, of any private, property- owner
24 or other owner of non -Federal land «-ith respect to
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1 any person injured on private property- or• other• non-
2 Federal land,
3 "((v) affect the ownership, management, or•
4 other• rights relating to any non -Federal land (in-
5 eluding any interest in any non -Federal land);
6 "(D) require any local government to partici-
7 pate in any program administered by the Secretary
8 "(E) alter, modify, or diminish any right, re-
9 sponsibility, power, authority-, jurisdiction, or entitle-
10 rent of the State, any political subdi`-ision of the
11 State, or any State or local agency under existing
12 Federal, State, and local law (including regulations),
13 "(F) require the creation of protective perirn-
14 titers or buffer zones, and the fact that certain ac-
15 ti`-ities or land can be seen or heard from within the
16
Rim of the
Valley Unit shall
not, of itself, preclude
17
the acti-6ties
or land uses up
to the boundary-
of the
18 Rim of the Valle- Unit;
19 � � ((r) require or promote use of, or encourage
20 trespass on, lands, facilities, and rights -of -«-ay
21 owned by non -Federal entities, including «-titer re-
22 source facilities and public utilities, without the «-rit-
23 tell consent of the owiler,
24 "(11) affect the operation, maintenance, modi-
25 fication, Coll structiorr, or expansion of any «-titer re-
5
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1 source
facility Or
utility
facility
located within Or ad-
2 ] 2lcent
to the Rim
Of the
Valley
Unit;
3 "(I) terminate the fee title to lands or cus-
4 tomar y operation, maintenance, repair, and replace-
5 ment actiiitles On Or under such binds granted to
6 public agencies that are authorized pursuant to Fed-
7 earl or State, statute,
8 "(J) interfere «-ith, obstruct, hinder, or delay
9
the exercise Of any
right
to, Or access to any Avater
10
resource facility Or
Other
facility Or property- nec-
11
essary Or useful to
access
any Avater right to operate
12 any public Avater or utility- system;
13 "(K) require initiation or reinitiation of con-
14 sultation «-ith the United States Fish and Wildlife
15 Service under, or the application of pro`-isions of, the
16 Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
17 seq. ), the National Eii-6ronrnental Policy- Act of
18 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4 321 et seq.), or di`-ision A of sub-
19 title III of title 541 United States Code, concerning
20
any action Or activity
affecting Avater, Avater
rights
21
Or Avater management
Or Avater resource
facilities
22 within the hire of the Valley Unit; or
23 "(L) limit the Secretary's ability to update ap-
24 plicable fire management plans, which may consider
25 fuels management strategies including managed nat-
5
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1 ural fire,
prescribed
fires, non -fire, mechanical haz-
2 ardous fuel reduction
activities, or post -fire, reme'dl-
3 atlon of
damage to
natural and cultural resources.
4 "(4) The
activities
of a utility- facility- or Avater re-
5 source facility
shall take
into consideration ways to rea-
6 sonably avoid
or reduce
the impact on the resources of
7 the hire of the Valle- Unit.
8 "(5) For the purpose of paragraph (4)-
9 (A) the terra utility facility- means electric
10 substations, communication facilities, towers, poles,
11
and
lines,
ground
Awes, communications circuits,
12
and
other
structures,
and related infrastructure; and
13 "(P>) the terra `«-titer resource facility-' means
14 irrigation and pumping facilities; darns and res-
15 ervoirs; flood control facilities; «-titer conservation
16 «-orks, including debris protection facilities, Sediment
17 placement sites, rain gauges, and stream gauges,
18 «-ater quality-, reed -tiled «-titer, and pumping facilities;
19 con`-evance distribution systems; «-titer treatment fa-
20 cilities; aqueducts; canals; ditches; pipelines; «-ells;
21 hydropower projects; transmission facilities; and
22 other ancillary- facilities, groundwater recharge facili-
23 ties, «-titer conservation, «-ater filtration plants, and
24 other «-titer diversion, conservation, groundwater re-
25 charge, storage, and carriage structures.".
5
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