[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 93 (Wednesday, May 31, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1846-S1847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. PADILLA:
  S. 1771. A bill to authorize additional district judges for the 
district court for the eastern district of California; to the Committee 
on the Judiciary.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the CASELOAD Act of 
2023.
  This legislation would address the critical need for additional 
judges in California's Eastern District, which faces disproportionately 
high workloads and significant litigation backlogs.
  This legislation would add five new judges to the Eastern District of 
California over the next 4 years to increase that court's capacity to 
address the needs of its roughly 8.4 million citizens.
  The bill adds the judges in three tranches. Two judges would be added 
in 2025, one judge would be added in 2027, and two would be added in 
2029.
  It also would authorize the funds necessary for the additional 
positions.
  The Eastern District of California encompasses 34 counties and has 
roughly 8\1/2\ million residents. Despite this massive geographic size 
and population, the Eastern District has only six permanent judgeships 
and has not added a permanent seat since 1978.
  The judges of the Eastern District face a staggering caseload. The 
total pending cases per judge as of June 2022 was 1,308, over 2\1/2\ 
the national average for districts.
  The people of the Eastern District, as well as the hard-working 
judicial officers who serve them, would greatly benefit from the 
additional judgeships that this bill would add.
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      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mr. Carper):
  S. 1772. A bill to establish a national mercury monitoring program, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works.
  Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I rise today to introduce the 
Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act. I want to thank Senator 
Carper, the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works 
Committee, for his partnership on this bill. Our bipartisan bill would 
help ensure that we have accurate information about the extent of 
mercury pollution in the United States.
  Mercury is a potent neurotoxin. It poses significant ecological and 
public health concerns, especially for children and pregnant women. 
Mercury exposure has gone down as U.S. mercury emissions have declined; 
however, levels remain unacceptably high in some areas. It is estimated 
that nearly 100,000 to 200,000 children born in the United States have 
been exposed to levels of mercury in the womb that are high enough to 
impair their neurological development. This exposure can impose a 
lifelong disability.
  In Maine, some of our lands and bodies of water face higher mercury 
pollution compared to the national average. Maine has been called the 
``tailpipe of the nation,'' as the winds carry pollution, including 
mercury, from the west into Maine.
  A system for collecting information, such as we have for acid rain 
and other pollution, does not exist currently for mercury, even though 
it is a more toxic pollutant. A comprehensive national mercury 
monitoring network is needed to help protect human health and track the 
effect of emissions reductions. This monitoring network would also help 
policymakers, scientists, and the public better understand the sources, 
consequences, and trends in U.S. mercury pollution.
  Specifically, our legislation would do the following: First, it would 
direct the Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the 
Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park 
Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other 
appropriate Federal Agencies, to establish a national mercury 
monitoring program. This program would be tasked to measure and monitor 
mercury levels in the air and watersheds, water and soil chemistry, and 
in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms at multiple sites 
across the Nation.
  Second, our bill would establish a scientific advisory committee to 
advise on the establishment, site selection, measurement, recording 
protocols, and operations of the monitoring program.
  Third, our bill would establish a centralized database for existing 
and newly collected environmental mercury data that can be accessed on 
the internet and that is compatible with similar international efforts.
  Fourth, our bill would require a report to Congress every 2 years on 
the program, including trend data, and an assessment every 4 years of 
the reduction in mercury deposition rates that would need to be 
achieved in order to prevent adverse human and ecological effects.
  Fifth, the bill would authorize $95 million over 3 years to carry out 
these activities.
  We must establish a comprehensive, robust national mercury monitoring 
network to provide the data needed to help make decisions that can 
protect the people of Maine and the Nation. I urge my colleagues to 
join me in supporting this important bipartisan legislation, the 
Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 1776. A bill to provide for the protection of and investment in 
certain Federal land in the State of California, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

[[Page S1847]]

  

  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to reintroduce the Protecting 
Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California, PUBLIC 
Lands Act. This measure would increase protections for over 1 million 
acres of Federal public lands throughout northwest California, the 
central coast, and Los Angeles, including nearly 600,000 acres of new 
wilderness, more than 583 miles of new wild and scenic rivers, and over 
100,000 acres of an expanded national monument.
  This legislation would preserve our public lands for the benefit of 
current and future generations and help protect California communities 
from the impacts of the climate crisis.
  The PUBLIC Lands Act is grounded in the best conservation principles: 
It expands access to the outdoors for all, addresses disparities in 
access to nature, supports locally led efforts, and is based on 
science.
  In northwest California, this bill would designate new wilderness, 
wild and scenic rivers, recreation and conservation areas, and forest 
and watershed restoration areas. Importantly, it would increase 
wildfire resiliency in northwest California, where the impacts of the 
climate crisis have resulted in more frequent and severe wildfires.
  Along the central coast, the bill would designate nearly 250,000 
acres of public land in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo 
Plain National Monument as wilderness and establish a 400-mile-long 
Condor National Recreation trail, stretching from Los Angeles to 
Monterey County. The designations in the bill would protect the Central 
Valley's abundant biodiversity, including threatened and endangered 
species.
  In Southern California, the bill would expand the San Gabriel 
Mountains National Monument to include more of the San Gabriel Mountain 
range. Los Angeles County is one of the most park-poor, densely 
populated, and polluted regions in the Nation, and this legislation 
would begin to rectify that by providing increased outdoor 
opportunities for Angelenos and ensuring that disadvantaged communities 
can benefit more easily from our public lands.
  I want to highlight that this legislation protects existing water 
rights, property rights, and land-use authorities. The bill also does 
not create any new public lands--rather, it protects existing public 
lands through the designation as wilderness in order to keep these 
lands as untouched and wild as possible.
  The science is becoming increasingly clear that we must conserve 30 
percent of our lands and waters by 2030 as part of our efforts to solve 
the climate crisis, protect nature, and save America's wildlife. This 
legislation would provide significant progress on that goal, helping 
California and the Biden administration meet our 30x30 goals and 
reverse the worst effects of climate change.
  The bill would also provide outdoor recreation opportunities for 
park-poor communities. It is imperative that as we conserve our public 
lands, we do so in a way that also reverses racial and economic 
disparities in access to nature and parks.
  This bill enjoys the support of hundreds of local municipalities and 
elected officials, community groups, and businesses and local 
outfitters. It is the product of significant public engagement in the 
legislative process over decades.
  I would like to thank my colleagues and conservation champions, 
Representatives Jared Huffman, Salud Carbajal, and Judy Chu, for 
championing these bills in the House.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the PUBLIC Lands 
Act as quickly as possible.

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