[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 722 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 722

     To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Agriculture to jointly conduct a study of certain land adjacent to the 
        Walnut Canyon National Monument in the State of Arizona.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 1, 2007

  Mr. McCain (for himself and Mr. Kyl) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Agriculture to jointly conduct a study of certain land adjacent to the 
        Walnut Canyon National Monument in the State of Arizona.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Walnut Canyon Study Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to authorize a study of the study area to evaluate 
        public uses and public values; and
            (2) to obtain recommendations for options for the 
        management of the public uses and protection of resources of 
        the study area.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Map.--The term ``map'' means the map entitled ``Walnut 
        Canyon Proposed Study Area'' and dated July 17, 2003.
            (2) Monument.--The term ``Monument'' means the Walnut 
        Canyon National Monument in the State of Arizona.
            (3) Public use.--The term ``public use'', with respect to 
        the study area, includes--
                    (A) livestock grazing;
                    (B) hunting;
                    (C) access to forested areas;
                    (D) bird watching;
                    (E) camping;
                    (F) driving for pleasure on roads and trails;
                    (G) firewood gathering;
                    (H) general exercise;
                    (I) group uses;
                    (J) hiking;
                    (K) horseback riding;
                    (L) hunting;
                    (M) mountain biking;
                    (N) painting;
                    (O) rock climbing;
                    (P) sightseeing;
                    (Q) skiing;
                    (R) snowmobiling;
                    (S) target practice, as permitted;
                    (T) walking with pets; and
                    (U) wildlife viewing.
            (4) Public value.--The term ``public value'', with respect 
        to the study area, includes--
                    (A) geologic features;
                    (B) historic sites;
                    (C) potential urban development;
                    (D) prehistoric sites;
                    (E) riparian communities;
                    (F) scenery;
                    (G) scientific education;
                    (H) solitude and serenity;
                    (I) vegetation diversity;
                    (J) watershed health;
                    (K) wildfire hazard reduction for healthy forests;
                    (L) wildlife and wildlife habitat;
                    (M) fee-free access; and
                    (N) recreational uses.
            (5) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means the 
        Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, 
        acting jointly.
            (6) Study area.--The term ``study area'' means the area 
        identified on the map as ``Walnut Canyon Proposed Study Area'', 
        consisting of 30,818 acres, of which--
                    (A) 24,987 acres is Federal land in Coconino 
                National Forest;
                    (B) 2,037 acres is State land;
                    (C) 214 acres is private land; and
                    (D) 3,580 acres is the Monument.

SEC. 4. STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretaries shall conduct a study of the study 
area.
    (b) Requirements.--The study shall evaluate--
            (1) the significance of the resources and public values of 
        the study area as the resources and public values pertain to--
                    (A) the management objectives of the Forest 
                Service; and
                    (B) the management objectives of the National Park 
                Service;
            (2) the opportunities for maintaining existing public uses; 
        and
            (3) a range of options for managing and conserving 
        resources by the National Park Service or the Forest Service, 
        or by both agencies acting jointly, including the suitability 
        and feasibility of--
                    (A) a boundary adjustment to the Monument;
                    (B) designation of the study area as a National 
                Recreation Area;
                    (C) maintaining the study area as managed by the 
                Forest Service; and
                    (D) any other designation or management option that 
                will accomplish both the protection of resources and 
                the maintenance of public use and access for the study 
                area.
    (c) Consultation.--In conducting the study, the Secretaries shall--
            (1) designate a lead agency;
            (2) consult with appropriate Federal, State, county, and 
        local government entities;
            (3) contract with a third-party consultant with experience 
        in park and land use planning to prepare a draft study; and
            (4) collaborate with the persons identified in subsection 
        (d) in developing a scope of work for the draft study under the 
        guidance of the third-party consultant.
    (d) Review.--The Secretaries, the Forest Supervisor of the Coconino 
National Forest, the Superintendent of the Flagstaff Area National 
Monuments, the Flagstaff City Council, and the Coconino County Board of 
Supervisors shall--
            (1) review the draft study prepared by the third-party 
        consultant; and
            (2) provide to the third-party consultant comments on the 
        draft study.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date on which funds 
are first made available to carry out this Act, the Secretaries shall 
submit to Congress a report that--
            (1) describes the findings and conclusions of the study 
        conducted under this section; and
            (2) makes a recommendation for the future management of the 
        study area.
    (f) Effect.--Nothing in this Act affects the management of the land 
depicted on the map.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this Act $350,000.
                                 <all>