Thursday, October 10, 2013

Utah Governor willing to loan feds money to open national parks

While one southern Utah county backed off plans to take over a shuttered federal recreation area, Gov. Gary Herbert said he's willing to put up state money to reopen and manage national parks. Following a strongly worded letter to President Barack Obama, Herbert said he called Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Wednesday. "I just suggested to her, 'Hey, we know there's dysfunctionality in Washington, D.C. Let us run the parks,'" he said. Herbert said he told Jewell that Utah would lend the federal government money and use state and local resources to get the parks running again. The governor said Jewell wants to know whether it could be done legally. "She recognizes the challenge in Utah," he said. "She's a businesswoman herself. She certainly understands the outdoors and understands our concern for the economic degradation that's occurring because of the closing of the parks." Herbert suggested the state could dip into its $288 million Rainy Day Fund or use dollars from travel and tourism budgets to cover management costs. He said the state is giving Jewell a list of "common sensible" areas to reopen. "We'll lend them money with the idea they'll pay us back once they get their act together back in Washington, D.C.," he said...more  

But now an Interior spokesman is saying the states won't be reimbursed unless Congress gives them the authority to do so. 

 The feds bailed out GM, now Utah is bailing out the feds...are National Parks "to big to fail"?

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