U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, was among three congressman to reintroduce legislation this week that would reopen Clear Creek Management Area to off-road enthusiasts, according to a statement from Farr’s office.
The bill comes weeks after the Bureau of Land Management released its final environmental impact statement that called for shutting off Clear Creek to off-road users.
According to the statement, Farr, David G. Valadao, R-Hanford, and Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, introduced H.R. 1776, the Clear Creek National Recreation Area and Conservation Act, “to direct the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to reopen the 75,000 acre Clear Creek Management Area (CCMA) in San Benito and Fresno counties for recreational use, including access for off-road vehicles. Additionally, the legislation would designate approximately 21,000 acres of BLM land adjacent to Clear Creek as the Joaquin Rocks Wilderness.”
Clear Creek has been closed to the public since May 2008, when the BLM cut off access while citing an Environmental Protection Agency study concluding areas of the lands contained dangerously high levels of asbestos. Off-road enthusiasts and others in favor of reopening Clear Creek, including county supervisors, have argued the evidence is insufficient that a serious health risk exists.
“Thousands of visitors would come from all over the state, traveling through San Benito County on their way to Clear Creek,” said San Benito County Supervisor Jerry Muenzer, in Farr’s statement. “Our county has lost thousands of dollars since Clear Creek closed. This bill would bring much needed tourism dollars back to our small businesses, providing an immediate boost the local economy.”
If enacted, the bill would require the BLM to develop “a rigorous plan to minimize the risk from asbestos exposure and to educate visitors to the recreation area about the natural asbestos. The BLM would also be required to reduce the impact of off-road vehicles to protect the area’s habitat.”
Farr introduced a bill in 2012 to reopen Clear Creek as well. That bill died at the committee level.
