[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4086-S4087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK

 Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, in December 1994, Congress 
received the National Cave and Karst Research Institute study from the 
National Park Service. The report studied the feasibility of creating a 
National Cave and Karst Research Institute in the vicinity of Carlsbad 
Caverns National Park, NM, as directed by Public Law 101-578. Today, I 
am here to introduce a bill which follows the guidelines of that report 
and which will establish the National Cave and Karst Research Institute 
in Carlsbad, NM.
  While other Nations have recognized the importance of cave resource 
management information and have sponsored cave and karst research, the 
United States has failed, until recently, to appreciate or work to 
understand cave and karst systems and their importance. As we approach 
the 21st century, the protection and management of our water resources 
has been identified as one of the major issues facing the world. In 
America, the majority of the Nation's fresh water is ground water--of 
which 25 percent is located in cave and karst regions.
  Recent studies have also indicated that caves contain valuable 
information related to global climate change, waste disposal, ground 
water supply and contamination, petroleum recovery, and biomedical 
investigations. Caves provide a unique understanding of the historic 
events of humankind. Further they are considered sacred and have 
religious significance for American Indians and other Native Americans.
  According to the Federal Cave Resources Protection Act, karst is 
defined as a landform characterized by sinkholes, caves, dry valleys, 
fluted rocks, enclosed depressions, underground streamways and spring 
resurgences. As a whole, 20 percent of the United States is karst. In 
fact, east of central Oklahoma, 40 percent of the country is karst. Our 
National Park System manages 58 units with caves and karst features, 
yet academic programs on these systems are virtually nonexistent. Most 
research is conducted with little or no funding and the resulting data 
is scattered and often hard to locate. The few cave and karst 
organizations and programs which do exist, have substantially different 
missions, locations and funding sources and there is no centralized 
program to analyze data or determine future research needs.
  In 1988 Congress directed the Secretaries of the Interior and 
Agriculture to provide an inventory of caves on Federal lands and to 
provide for the management and dissemination of information about the 
caves. That directive has served only to make Federal land management 
agencies more aware of the need for a cave research program and a 
repository for cave and karst resources. In 1990, Congress further 
directed the Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the 
National Park Service, to establish and administer a Cave Research 
Program and prepare a proposal for Congress on the feasibility of a 
centralized National Cave and Karst Research Institute.
  The National Cave and Karst Research Institute Study Report to 
Congress was released in December 1994 and not only supports 
establishing the Institute, but lists several serious threats to 
continued uninformed management practices.
  Threats such as: alterations in the surface water flow patterns in 
karst regions, alterations in or pollution of water infiltration 
routes, inappropriately placed toxic waste repositories and poorly 
managed or designed sewage systems and landfiles. The findings of the 
report conclude that it is only through a better understanding of cave

[[Page S4087]]

resources that we can prevent detrimental impacts to America's natural 
resources and cave ecosystems.
  The goals of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, as 
outlined in the report, would be to further the science of speleology, 
to centralize speleological information, to further interdisciplinary 
cooperation in cave and karst research programs, and to promote 
environmentally sound, sustainable resource management practices. These 
goals would work hand in hand with the proposed objectives of the 
Institute to establish a comprehensive cave and karst library and 
information data base, to sponsor national and international cave and 
karst symposiums, to develop long term research studies, to produce 
cave-related educational publications and to develop cooperative 
agreements with all Federal agencies having cave management 
responsibilities.
  The vicinity of Carlsbad Caverns National Park is ideal due to the 
community support which already exists for the establishment of the 
institute and the diverse cave and karst resources which are found 
throughout the region.
  Carlsbad, NM, has grown from a small railroad stop on what is now the 
Santa Fe Railroad to a growing city with a population of over 170,000 
in the tri-county area. It continues to attract new businesses, small 
manufacturers, retirees and research facilities, including the U.S. 
Department of Energy's Carlsbad area office. In addition, Carlsbad 
Caverns National Park attracts over 700,000 visitors per year.
  The National Cave and Karst Research Institute would be jointly 
administered by the National Park Service and another public or private 
agency, organization, or institution as determined by the Secretary. 
The Carlsbad Department of Development [CDOD], after reviewing the 
National Cave and Karst Research Institute study report, has developed 
proposals to obtain financial support from available and supportive 
organizational resources, including personnel, facilities, equipment 
and volunteers. They further believe that they can obtain serious 
financial support from the private sector and would seek a matching 
grant from the State of New Mexico equal to the available Federal 
funds.
  Carlsbad already has in place many of the needed cooperative 
institutions, facilities and volunteers that will work toward the 
success of the National Cave and Karst Institute. I strongly urge my 
colleagues to support this legislation to increase our understanding of 
cave and karst systems.

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