Utah Reaches $1.7 Million Deal To Open Five National Parks In State

Published Date

October 11, 2013

Five national parks in Utah, plus one national recreation area and two national monuments, will reopen, temporarily, under a deal the state reached with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.

Under the agreement, the state will provide $1.67 million so Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Zion national parks, along with Cedar Breaks and Natural Bridges national monuments, and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area can open for up to ten days.

“Utah’s national parks are the backbone of many rural economies and hard-working Utahns are paying a heavy price for this shutdown,” Governor Gary Herbert said in announcing the agreement. “I commend Secretary Jewell for being open to Utah’s solution, and the world should know Utah is open for business and visitors are welcome.”

Under the terms of the deal, the Interior Department will notify site-specific personnel to return to work as soon as the state wires the money. Secretary Jewell indicated to the governor that within 24 hours of receiving wired funds, the national sites could be open and fully operational. At the time of this release, Utah expects parks to become fully operational by Saturday.

Utah’s initial funding for the agreement will come from existing resources within the Division of State Parks of the Department of Natural Resources. Further action may be warranted by the Utah State Legislature in a special session expected for next Wednesday, October 16. The Governor’s Office continues to work closely with legislative leaders to make DNR whole and identify optimal solutions. If the government shutdown continues beyond 10 days, Utah can make additional payments to keep the national parks and monuments open, a release from the governor's office said.

While Secretary Jewell made it clear to the governor that she cannot obligate the federal government for reimbursement to the State, the agreement stipulates repayment will be possible with approval from the U.S. Congress. Consequently, the governor has engaged Utah’s congressional delegation to actively pursue timely repayment to state coffers.

Elsewhere in the country, officials in Wyoming, California, and Washington state said they would not try to fund the reopening of national parks in their states.

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Comments

Submitted by rmackie on October 11, 2013 - 10:40pm.

You make an excellent point Alfred Runte. I found your post very informative. I think the realization of how important the parks are even if it just from economic perspective, and that is very important to local residents and business, their employees, etc., is well taken. A question, I am still bothered by the piece meal approach. Is this an issue? I do think it is the responsibility of the US Congress to fund our National Parks (and all our governmental functions), that they have been unwilling to date to due that is tragic. In any case thanks again for the post. I would also like to thank Sara, I agree that money has influence, the more money the more influence. Weather that is good or bad I guess depends on where you sit in the income pecking order. It does lead to resentment however when it gives perks to neighborhoods that others do not have (along with many other advantages including access). EC, you might want to research how much it costs to file a lawsuit, even for a nonprofit. Here in California you are looking at 15,000 just to get all your filings in. . Litigation can last years, and normally, in my limited experience, its something you do only as a last resort.

Submitted by Sara on October 11, 2013 - 11:47pm.

The McLean Lacrosse Association got a temporary restraining order against the NPS from a federal judge who happens to live in McLean. Now, the Glen Echo Partnership in Maryland wants to be allowed to operate their portion of Glen Echo Park(also part of the GW Memorial Parkway unit) because of what happened at Claude Moore and Langley Fork. This could get chaotic.

http://www.bethesdanow.com/2013/10/11/glen-echo-partnership-urges-park-service-to-reopen-park/

Submitted by rmackie on October 12, 2013 - 10:36am.

Sara, interesting post. I agree, the unintended consequences of the partial government shutdown, in my opinion, are resulting in some "chaotic" results.

Submitted by Lee Dalton on October 12, 2013 - 1:07pm.

Heck, Ron, just the normal day-to-day insanity in Congress has produced years of "chaotic" results . . . . .

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