[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S2258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. McCAIN:
  S. 556. 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; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined today by my 
colleague in the House of Representatives, Congressman Rick Renzi, in 
introducing legislation to authorize a special resources and land 
management study for the Walnut Canyon National Monument in Arizona. 
The study is intended to evaluate a range of management options for 
public lands adjacent to the monument to ensure adequate protection of 
the canyon's cultural and natural resources.
  For several years, local communities adjacent to the Walnut Canyon 
National Monument have debated whether the land surrounding the 
monument would be best protected from future development under 
management of the U.S. Forest Service or the National Park Service. The 
Coconino County Board and the Flagstaff City Council have passed 
resolutions concluding that the preferred method to determine what is 
best for the land surrounding Walnut Canyon National Monument is by 
having a Federal study conducted. The recommendations from such a study 
would help to resolve the question of future management and whether 
expanding the monument's boundaries could compliment current public and 
multiple-use needs.
  The legislation also would direct the Secretary of the Interior and 
the Secretary of Agriculture to provide recommendations for management 
options for maintenance of the public uses and protection of resources 
of the study area.
  Mr. President, this legislation would provide a mechanism for 
determining the management options for one of Arizona's high uses 
scenic areas and protect the natural and cultural resources of this 
incredibly beautiful monument. I urge my colleagues to support its 
passage.
                                 ______