Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released a discussion draft of the
California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act, a bill Feinstein will
introduce in January when the new Congress convenes.
The draft bill’s key provisions:
Creates two new national monuments:
The Mojave Trails National Monument, which would encompass 942,000 acres of land, including former Catellus-owned lands.
The Sand to Snow National Monument, which would encompass 135,000 acres
of land from desert floor in the Coachella Valley to the top of Mount
San Gorgonio.
Designates five new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wilderness areas covering 235,000 acres.
Designates 77 miles of waterways as Wild and Scenic Rivers.
Adds acreage to Death Valley National Park (39,000 acres), Joshua Tree
National Park (4,500 acres) and the Mojave National Preserve (30,000
acres).
Designates four existing BLM Off-Highway Vehicle areas (covering
approximately 135,000 acres of California desert) as permanent
Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation areas, providing off-highway
enthusiasts certainty that these uses will be protected as much as
conservation areas.
Provides a balanced approach to renewable energy development by:
Requiring the Department of the Interior to exchange 370,000 acres of
federal land for state land, allowing the state to use these new areas
for commercial purposes including clean energy. The bill also releases
126,000 acres of wilderness land that could be used for renewable
energy.
Allowing for new transmission lines in the Mojave Trails National Monument on existing transmission corridors.
Sharing with state and local governments the revenue generated from leasing of federal land within the desert.
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