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Susan tours the San Diego River Park with Rob Hutsel, Executive Director of the park’s foundation.
Susan tours the San Diego River Park with Rob Hutsel, Executive Director of the park’s foundation.

On the Issues

Environment

Both here at home in San Diego and across the country, Susan is committed to protecting our environment.  She understands the critical importance of preserving our nation’s natural legacy for future generations of Americans to enjoy and explore.  To accomplish this end, Susan has cosponsored legislation and supported efforts to protect wildlife, preserve wilderness, safeguard our rivers and wetlands, save our oceans and beaches, and care for our National Parks and Forests.

In the annual scorecard of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), Susan received a perfect score for her votes on the environment.  Since 1970, the LCV has surveyed the most import votes on environmental issues.  The 2008 Scorecard examines 13 votes from the House of Representatives.

Susan is a proud member of the newly formed Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), a focused, action-based caucus whose purpose is to advance policies that promote clean energy technology innovation and domestic manufacturing, develop renewable energy resources, create green collar jobs throughout the product supply-chain, help arrest global warming and protect our nation’s clean air, water and natural environment.

Protecting Endangered Species and Wildlife

Susan believes that we as human beings need to take responsibility and protect those species that are endangered because of our actions.  The world's rich biomass is increasingly under encroachment from the effects of human civilization, through problems such as habitat destruction, overhunting, pollution, and climate change. 

Susan has been the proud cosponsor of legislation to stop the importation of polar bear parts as hunting trophies and providing financial incentives for conservation efforts targeting large cats (such as lions and snow leopards) and rare canids (such as the gray wolf and bush dog).  In addition, she has supported science-based conservation and restoration efforts for Columbia River salmon and the Mexican gray wolf. 

Saving Our Oceans and Beaches

As San Diegans, our oceans and beaches are one of our city’s most prized possessions and keeping them clean and safe has always been a personal priority for Susan.  Like you, Susan wants to protect our beaches so that her children and grandchildren can swim, surf, and play in them without worrying about their health or safety.

Susan is a member of the Congressional Oceans Caucus and has repeatedly cosponsored legislation to prohibit environmentally harmful oil drilling off the California coast.  She is also the proud cosponsor of the OCEAN-21 Act (H.R. 21) which establishes a coordinated national policy on protecting our oceans.  Previously, Susan also proudly supported the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act which President Bush signed into law in January 2007.  This legislation mandates a halt to overfishing and institutes a science-based approach to replenishing our depleted fisheries.

Preserving Our Wild Spaces

The supply of pristine, unspoiled land in this country is dwindling, and much of that remains vulnerable to environmental hazards, such as gas and oil exploration and off-road vehicles.  These wilderness areas are home to some of the most stunning natural beauty left in the world and Susan believes that we must preserve them so that they will still be here for our children and grandchildren.  In January 2009, Susan joined her colleagues in writing Secretary of the Interior Salazar, urging him to protect some of these most naturally magnificent acres from destructive oil and gas development.

In the 110th Congress, Susan was the proud original cosponsor of National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act, which would help prevent road construction through parts of our National Forest system that are currently roadless.  She has also cosponsored legislation to designate millions of acres of lands across the country – including the Skykomish Valley in Washington and the Colorado Plateau in Utah – as wilderness areas.

Safeguarding Our Rivers and Wetlands

Because rivers often serve as the primary water supply for many communities and wetlands act as natural water filters, Susan has always treated protecting these waterways as not only a matter of habitat preservation, but also a public health issue.

In the 110th Congress, Susan was the proud cosponsor of both the Clean Water Restoration Act (H.R. 2421) and the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 2169).  H.R. 2421 would expand the amount of wetlands protected by the landmark 1977 Clean Water Act.  H.R. 2169 would prohibit the practice of dumping mining debris into rivers and lakes.  Both of these efforts would go a long way to protecting these delicate ecosystems and safeguarding the quality of our water supply.  Susan looks forward to supporting these bills when they are reintroduced in the 111th Congress.

Caring for Our National Parks and Forests

America’s National Parks and National Forests are some of our nation’s greatest natural treasures.  Susan has always been a strong advocate for maintaining and caring for these preservation areas which include the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Tongass National Forest, and Yellowstone National Park. 

In the 110th Congress, Susan was a cosponsor of the National Park Centennial Act (H.R. 1731) that would significantly increase funding to address the backlog of unmet needs for our National Parks system.

Protecting San Onofre State Park

Congresswoman Davis supports the Department of Commerce ruling to uphold the decision by the California Coastal Commission in rejecting the Foothill-South Toll Road project.  Susan authored the law that removed an unprecedented federal exemption for the toll road project, repealing a federal law enacted in 2000 declaring that state law does not specifically apply to the project.  Susan also spearheaded congressional delegation letters ensuring that the public’s voice was heard during the appeal process and calling on the Commerce Department to uphold the Commission’s ruling.

Throughout the process, Susan argued that the proposed toll road through San Onofre State Park undergo the same process and scrutiny as other transportation projects.  For nearly a decade, this project received preferential treatment at the federal level.  While our region’s traffic issues must be addressed, the environmental and transportation issues surrounding this project are too important to forgo the integrity and transparency of the process.  Susan hopes that all parties can use this decision as a reason to come together and work on a viable alternative that does not destroy Southern California’s beautiful coastline or impede the Marine Corps’ ability to perform their national security mission.

San Onofre State Park is virtually the only publicly accessible open space remaining along the entire Southern California coast, and the campground threatened by the toll road is a very popular destination for youth groups, surfers, families, and seniors seeking convenient and affordable accommodations for coastal recreation in an undisturbed natural environment.  Further, the toll road would run directly through the San Mateo Creek watershed, the only undeveloped watershed left in Southern California.  Development of this protected area could result in major degradation of water quality in the creek and surrounding ocean waters.

Cleaning up Naval Base Point Loma Fuel Plume

In February 2006, the U.S. Navy disclosed that a plume of fuel product in the ground water beneath Naval Base Point Loma was migrating north toward private residences in the neighboring community of La Playa.  The fuel plume is the result of leaking tanks in the fuel farm located on the Navy’s base.  To ensure that residents were well informed, Susan hosted town hall meetings with Councilmember Kevin Faulconer, Captain Mark Patton, Commander, Naval Base Point Loma and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board to address this issue and discuss the short and long term solutions. 

Susan has been focused on securing the federal funding that will provide a long term solution to the problem of leaking fuel tanks at Naval Base Point Loma.  In fact, the House Armed Services Committee has already passed legislation authorizing the much needed funds, and she will continue to work in Washington to help appropriate money for repairs as quickly as possible.  In addition, Naval Base Point Loma has continued to host bi-monthly Navy Community Liaison Group Meetings to update interested constituents on the most recent developments in fuel recovery, as well as the status of the tank replacement project.