If a federal shutdown threatens Arizona’s Orange Striped Grand Canyon and Utah’s Zion Valley’s red cliffs, Arizona and Utah will keep those states’ iconic national parks open.
Most importantly for the state budget, visitors can continue to spend money near the parks.
A cut off Sunday may come. The economic impact of the national parks is so important that the Democratic governor of Arizona and the Republican governor of Utah decided to invest state funds to preserve the Grand Canyon, Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Canyonlands national parks. open.
For Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, it’s a simple matter of economics.
The nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association says that for every $1 invested national park service Supports more than $15 in economic activity annually.
The association said each day of closure could mean a total loss of nearly 1 million visitors to national parks and up to $70 million in losses to gateway communities.
Hobbs and Cox said their states will pay to keep the parks open to basic operations, providing a buffer for communities that rely on tourism.
“We expect to be compensated in the same way that federal employees have received back pay during the shutdown, and we have communicated this situation to the Interior Department,” Cox said this week.
Hobbs said the Arizona Lottery funds will help keep Grand Canyon Park open.
In late December 2018, Utah was paying about $7,500 a day to keep Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches operating during the shutdown at the time. The nonprofit Zion Forever Project committed $16,000 to pay a skeleton staff and keep Zion’s bathhouses and visitor center open, which still attracts thousands of visitors every day.
Grand Canyon National Park public affairs specialist Joelle Baird said Arizona’s funding will not cover all normal operating costs during the closure, but people will still be allowed to visit.
The National Parks Conservation Association noted that keeping parks open during closures could be disastrous without adequate staff and other resources.
“We have witnessed unnecessary and avoidable damage including rubbish and human waste spills, vandalism, looting and the illegal use of off-road vehicles,” the group said of some sites during the 2018-2019 closure period.
The situation in Joshua Tree National Park has been described as particularly bad, with garbage overflowing, portable toilets overflowing and tourists driving off the road without supervision, knocking over countless unique plants.
During the 35-day shutdown from late 2018 to early 2019, Arizona paid about $64,000 a week to pay for restroom cleaning, trash removal and snow removal at the Grand Canyon. People with permits to hike in the backcountry or raft the Colorado River can still go, but no new permits have been issued during this time.
National park employees who are not furloughed will have to work without pay and their lost wages will be reimbursed after the budget resolution is reached. Those expected to work during another possible closure include members of Grand Canyon National Park’s emergency services, whose teams are trained in medical services, search and rescue and firefighting.
Joëlle Baird, park public affairs specialist, said Arizona’s funding “kept everything on track” during the park’s closure five years ago.
“Hotels, restaurants, pretty much everything is open,” she said.
John Gard, senior director of budget and appropriations for the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association, said funding parks is the responsibility of the federal government and should not be shouldered by states.
“We understand states’ interest in opening parks during government shutdowns because they are proven economic engines that generate more than $50.3 billion annually and support more than 378,400 jobs,” Gadde said. “But ultimately, it’s Congress’s responsibility to keep them funded and open.”
The association said it was closed might affect More than 400 sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa.
In Washington state, home to Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks, Gov. Jay Inslee does not plan to provide more funding or personnel to national parks while they are closed.
Inslee’s office said the bulk of the governor’s discretionary spending will be needed this year for cleanup and recovery after wildfires in Spokane County.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office has not said whether the state will spend money to keep Glacier or Yellowstone national parks open. But his staff said the Republican governor’s budget team is working with state agencies “to prepare for possible shutdowns in the event Congress is unable to act in concert to keep the federal government functioning for the American people.”
Most of Yellowstone is in Wyoming, but three of the five entrances are in Montana.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is waiting for more information from the Interior Department and the White House to better understand the state’s options, spokesman Michael Perlman said.
“The governor has also been in contact with the superintendents of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks,” Pearman said. He added that Gordon, a Republican, recognized that the closure of the parks “could have serious consequences for those who live and work in our gateway regions.” A significant economic impact on Wyoming families’ communities.
The administration of California Governor Gavin Newsom said this week that it does not plan to keep national parks open if the federal government shuts down, saying they do not fall under state jurisdiction.The Democratic governor and state lawmakers have to make tough budget decisions this year as the state faces Nearly $32 billion shortfall A few years later budget surplus.
Svlook
