Should the John Muir National Historic Site be Expanded? (H.R. 1289)

What is H.R. 1289?

(Updated January 8, 2018)

This bill would allow the Dept. of the Interior to receive a donation of about 44 acres of land to expand the boundaries of the John Muir National HIstoric Site. The expansion would occur near Martinez, California and was identified by surveyors on a map numbered 426/127150 in November 2014.

Argument in favor

There’s no reason that the Dept. of the Interior shouldn’t accept a donation of 44 acres to expand the John Muir National Historic Site.

Argument opposed

Before allowing the Dept. of the Interior to accept this donation, Congress should require that they have a plan in place to manage it.

Impact

People who would visit the expanded John Muir National Historic Site, and the Dept. of the Interior.

Cost of H.R. 1289

The CBO estimates that this bill would not have a significant impact on the federal budget.

Additional Info

In-Depth: John Muir was the founder of the Sierra Club and a noted conservationist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He lived in what became a National Historic Site named after him from 1890 to 1914 in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The House Natural Resources Committee passed this bill without objection via unanimous consent.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) Press Release
• CBO Cost Estimate
• KCET
• SF Gate