Don Nickles: “The President also objected to a deal that would have added 22,000 acres of wilderness to the Black Canyon of the…”

“The President also objected to a deal that would have added 22,000 acres of wilderness to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument and transformed it into a full-fledged national park. A series of lengthy public hearings already had resolved concerns about the national park designation. That is just one. I know President Clinton stood outside of the Grand Canyon and had a big environmental picture day and talked about taking 1.8 million acres in Utah, without consulting the Utah delegation or the Utah Governor. But I am looking at their reluctance to cooperate with us on this package as being a lot more detrimental, because this package does lots of things in all States, from California to New Jersey, including Colorado. I just think there are some real inconsistencies here. I hope our colleagues will join us in working together to see if we can't pass this bill later today.”