Letter to the Hon. Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior - Carrizo Plain National Monument

Letter

Dear Secretary Zinke:

I write to you today to request that you recommend that no changes be made to the Carrizo Plain National Monument (CPNM) located in the Central Coast of California's 24th Congressional District, which I represent.

Following your Department's recent announcements that Craters of the Moon, Hanford Reach and Canyons of the Ancients National Monuments would all remain intact as a result of your review, my constituents are increasingly concerned that the CPNM, a unique vestige of the Central Valley's grassland, remains open to possible changes and vulnerable to potential oil and gas development.

Recent figures show the outdoor recreation economy in California is worth approximately $92 billion, employs over 691,000 individuals, and contributes $30.4 billion in wages and salaries. The world class resources of the CPNM represent a key part of this economy.

Local communities and business owners who depend on these monuments for their livelihood deserve certainty that these monuments will not be altered.

As you may know, the designation of CPNM in 2001 was the culmination of an intensive public process. The monument is not only economically important to my district and state, but is broadly popular, and has garnered bipartisan support.

Due to the unparalleled resources that CPNM protects, the benefits it provides to local communities and the support that exists in our state, I ask that you end this review. This review is creating unnecessary concerns among my constituents, as the Carrizo has been an economic boon in San Luis Obispo County and for its residents.

I respectfully urge you to leave these designations as they stand. Our national monuments are national treasures and we should continue to protect these public resources.

Sincerely,

SALUD O. CARBAJAL

Member of Congress

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