[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 40 (Monday, October 7, 1996)]
[Page 1957]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Bipartisan Agreement on Omnibus Parks Legislation

October 3, 1996

    I am gratified tonight that we could reach a bipartisan agreement on 
an omnibus parks bill that protects some of this Nation's most precious 
treasures. This legislation will improve the management of our Nation's 
parks and public lands, and protect some of our most valued resources.
    This bill encompasses my top priorities for parks legislation, 
including measures to improve management of the Presidio, acquire the 
Sterling Forest, and establish the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. 
It also deletes almost all of the provisions that I had found 
objectionable, including those that would have adversely affected the 
Shenandoah National Park and Richmond Battlefield National Park in 
Virginia, the Sequoia National Park in California, the Tongass National 
Forest, and other national parks and Federal lands.
    Though not perfect, this bill represents a great victory for the 
American people and proves what we can accomplish if we work together.