16 U.S.C. § 460uu–42 — Acquisition of lands and interests

Within the monument and the conservation area, the Secretary may acquire lands and interests in land — by donation, by purchase using donated or appropriated money, by exchange, or by transfer from another federal agency. There is one exception: land owned by the State of New Mexico or one of its political subdivisions can only be acquired through exchange, not the other methods. Congress also states its sense — not a strict command — that the Secretary should finish acquiring non-federal underground ("subsurface") mineral interests beneath the monument and conservation area within three full fiscal years after this law's enactment.