Our state's tourism ads show Californians kayaking crystal rivers, skiing pristine mountains, enjoying perfect beaches, overlooking emerald valleys and hiking rich forests – all under clear, sunny skies. We're lucky, because that is how California looks today.

But the Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have proposed a series of legislative initiatives that paint a different, much darker picture of California's future. These may be passed swiftly and quietly this fall unless we stop them.

These bills would also blunt momentum for a series of initiatives designed to refocus our state's economy on job creation. What congressional leaders are proposing is nothing short of a California job-killer in the guise of job creation for the oil and gas industry.

Californians enjoy the outdoors, and it is a big part of the state's economy. Active outdoor recreation like fishing, hunting, hiking and biking contributes $46 billion to our economy every year and supports 408,000 California jobs, according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

At every level of our state's economy – local, regional and statewide – we rely on smart use of our natural resources and lands. For generations, leaders of both parties have recognized the importance of balancing our outdoors against the desires of the oil and gas industry. Balance being the key word.

Today, too many leaders in Congress see little value in preserving and expanding open space for recreation. At the same time, these leaders are demanding additional leases and uses for oil and gas exploration, even while thousands of acres of leased lands go unused.

But it's about more than money. The natural places and beautiful landscapes are part of our heritage. They are a big part of why California is a great place to live and raise a family – they are a treasure we can pass on to our children, and they can pass on to theirs.

Why would Republicans in Congress want to slash federal conservation efforts as a tool to undermine the federal initiatives that protect California's outdoor spaces? Not surprisingly big polluters are pressuring them to trade away our outdoor heritage for their profits.

The assortment of bills likely to be rushed through Congress would roll back 40 years of progress cleaning up America's polluted waterways and eliminate critical clean air protections. They would cut EPA funding for enforcement and for efforts to protect air and water resources. California already has nearly 100 Superfund toxic waste sites, and more than one in 10 Californians have been diagnosed with asthma, which poor air quality triggers. Loosening the rules so polluters can dump toxic sludge into our drinking water and pump poisonous gas into our air just doesn't make sense.

Many congressional leaders are also seeking to gut the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. It has protected our drinking water and our treasured California landscapes from Redwoods National Park to the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. It also supports the creation of city parks and ballfields all over California, so that enjoying the great outdoors means not having to leave your neighborhood. The fund comprises fees on those who conduct oil and gas drilling.

Additional legislation would eradicate U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's proposed 20-year moratorium on uranium mining at the Grand Canyon. Salazar has managed to strike a responsible balance between industry's desire to increase mining by 2,000 percent with preservation of our irreplaceable natural treasures and the tourism and recreation jobs they support. I support this kind of innovative thinking, and it would be a true failure if legislation allows the Colorado River watershed we rely on to be contaminated from uranium mining.

Finally, one anticipated amendment would severely undercut the Antiquities Act, which served as the authority President Theodore Roosevelt used to protect the Grand Canyon and other presidents have used to protect critical landscapes like the California Coastal National Monument. If certain members of Congress and their polluter friends are going after the Grand Canyon and our coastline today, the impacts on our tourism and recreation economy, from coastal travel to sport fishing, could be devastating.

That's why it's so important for Californians to speak out now. If we do, we can still stop this dangerous plan. California's Republican Congress members need to hear that our economy, our health and the landscapes that make our state the best place in America to live and visit are not theirs to give away.

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Gavin Newsom is lieutenant governor of California.

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