Susan participates in a beach cleanup with constituents at Crystal Pier.

Office Contact Information

Washington Office
U.S. House of Representatives
1526 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2040
Fax: (202) 225-2948

San Diego Office
2700 Adams Avenue Suite 102
San Diego CA 92116
Phone: (619) 280-5353
Fax: (619) 280-5311

ENVIRONMENT

Susan understands how important it is to preserve America’s environment. That’s why she continually cosponsors legislation and supports efforts that protect wildlife, preserve wilderness, safeguard our rivers and wetlands, save our oceans and beaches, and care for our National Parks and Forests.

Environmental Rating

The annual scorecard of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has consistently given Susan exemplary scores for her votes on the environment. Since 1970, the LCV has surveyed the most import votes on environmental issues. Read more here.

Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC)

Susan is a proud member of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), a focused, action-based caucus whose purpose is to advance policies that promote sustainability, clean energy technology innovation and domestic manufacturing, renewable energy resource development, and green job creation. Read more about SEEC here: http://seec-israel.house.gov/

Energy

Susan believes we must make renewable energy a key component of our nation’s energy policy. Developing and promoting the use of renewable energy is critical to reducing global warming, cleaning our air and reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. San Diego is already a leader on this front when it comes to solar technology. Renewable energy investment also contributes to energy independence, and that is why Susan is supportive of the Navy’s efforts to pursue bio-fuel and solar technologies.

Making progress on this front continues to be a challenge, but Susan thinks it’s important for Congress to come together and find workable solutions, and she continues to stand firm in working toward a future that provides a cleaner, safer, and healthier environment for future generations.

Protecting Endangered Species and Wildlife

It’s important to protect species that are increasingly endangered due to habitat destruction, overhunting, pollution, and climate change. Susan has supported legislation to stop the importation of polar bear parts as hunting trophies, protect wilderness areas, and prevent the slaughter of wild horses. In fact, she was named a “Humane Advocate” for her work to protect animals. In addition, she has supported science-based conservation and restoration efforts for Columbia River salmon and the Mexican gray wolf. Read more about Susan’s work relating to animal welfare by clicking here.

Saving Our Oceans and Beaches

As San Diegans, our oceans and beaches are our most precious natural treasures and keeping them clean and safe has always been a personal priority for Susan. That’s why she’s a member of the Congressional Oceans Caucus and has repeatedly cosponsored legislation to prohibit environmentally harmful oil drilling off the California coast.

The 2010 oil spill off the Gulf Coast was devastating, and Susan continues to push to restore and protect that area. She knows many San Diegans relate on an even more personal level with what the Gulf region has experienced, because we can imagine how awful it would be if our beaches and our marine life were affected by an oil spill. The oil spill underscores why offshore oil drilling isn’t the answer to our nation’s energy challenges, and why Susan remains seriously concerned about the effects it can have on our economy, precious coastal waters and marine life. It also highlights the need to diversify our energy sources to make us less dependent on oil.

Preserving Our Wild Spaces

The supply of pristine, unspoiled land in this country is dwindling, and much of that remains vulnerable to environmental hazards, like 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, which is why she has urged the Secretary of the Interior to protect some of these areas from destructive oil and gas development.

Susan was a 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 the protection of these waterways not only as a matter of habitat preservation, but also as a public health issue. Susan has supported the Clean Water Restoration Act and the Clean Water Protection Act to both expand the amount of wetlands protected by the landmark 1977 Clean Water Act and prohibit the practice of dumping mining debris into rivers and lakes. Both of these efforts would go a long way to protect our delicate ecosystems and safeguard the quality of our water supply.

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. As funding for these natural and national treasures comes under fire, Susan will continue to fight to keep them open and preserved for everyone to experience for generations to come.

Protecting San Onofre State Park

Susan authored the law that removed an unprecedented federal exemption for the planned toll road project through San Onofre State Park and Camp Pendleton. By repealing a federal law enacted in 2000 declaring that state law does not specifically apply to the project, Susan’s legislation forced toll road proponents to play by the same regulatory rules as everyone else.

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.

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, while threatening our national security by encroaching on Camp Pendleton.