In a letter sent today to Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo and NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad, U.S. Sen.’s Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Rep.’s Julie Brownley (D-CA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) conveyed support for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary and requested that the designation process be initiated to move the nomination forward. The area would span ~140 square miles of coastline from Cambria to Santa Barbara, CA.
Signatories said that designation of the area would “ensure we continue to be good stewards of these resources while maintaining sustainable access for commercial and recreational fishing,” “enshrine protections against oil drilling,” and support implementation of the administration’s initiative to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
