[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 41 (Monday, October 16, 2006)]
[Page 1815]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing the Rio Grande Natural Area Act

October 12, 2006

    Today, I have signed into law S. 56, the ``Rio Grande Natural Area 
Act.'' The Act establishes the Rio Grande Natural Area in Colorado to 
help protect natural resources on Federal and non-Federal lands.
    The Act establishes a commission to perform specified functions 
relating to the Natural Area. The Commission consists of nine 
individuals appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, of whom one must 
represent the Colorado State Director of the Bureau of Land Management, 
one must be a specified Federal employee, three must be appointed on the 
recommendation of the Governor of Colorado to represent various Colorado 
governmental entities, and four must be knowledgeable, experienced local 
citizens to represent the general public. Thus, the Act limits the 
qualifications of the pool of persons from whom the Secretary may select 
appointees to the Commission in a manner that rules out a large portion 
of those persons best qualified by experience and knowledge to fill the 
positions, which the Appointments Clause of the Constitution does not 
permit if the appointees exercise significant governmental authority. To 
faithfully execute the Act to the maximum extent consistent with the 
Appointments Clause, the executive branch shall construe the provisions 
of the Act specifying functions for the Commission as specifying 
functions that are advisory only.
                                                George W. Bush
The White House,
October 12, 2006.

Note: This statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary 
on October 13. S. 56, approved October 12, was assigned Public Law No. 
109-337.