Ten days after the partial shutdown of the federal government
shuttered the Statue of Liberty, Grand Canyon and other national parks,
the Obama administration has offered to let states foot the bill to
reopen parks within their borders. Here's how states are reacting to
the offer:
ARIZONA
State
officials were negotiating with federal officials over the possible
reopening of the Grand Canyon. Gov. Jan Brewer is pressing for a
partial, less expensive reopening. Interior Department officials said
that is not an option.
COLORADO
Gov. John Hickenlooper wants
to at least open a scenic road through Rocky Mountain National Park so
more visitors can reach the gateway town of Estes Park, which was hit
hard by flooding and hopes to attract more tourists to boost the
economy.
MONTANA
Gov. Steve Bullock said his state won't
pick up the tab to reopen Glacier National Park. Bullock told Lee
Newspapers of Montana that it's long past time for Congress to end the
"reckless and job-killing shutdown."
NEVADA
Gov. Brian
Sandoval said his state can't afford the costs of reopening parks when
it is already facing critical funding decisions on food stamps,
unemployment insurance and aid to women, infants and children.
NEW YORK
Negotiations
were underway on the possible reopening of the Statue of Liberty but no
deal had been reached, according to an official who spoke on condition
of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Gov.
Dennis Daugaard was considering the government's offer but wanted to
see how much it would cost. Daugaard was one of at least four governors
who requested the authority to open some or all of their parks.
UTAH
Utah
was the first state to jump at the federal government's offer, with
Gov. Gary Herbert signing a deal for a 10-day reopening of the state's
five national parks. State officials wired $1.67 million to the federal
government, and National Park Service workers began removing barriers
and opening gates.
WYOMING
Gov. Matt Mead's office said the
state would not pay to reopen two heavily visited national parks or the
Devil's Tower national monument. Mead spokesman Renny MacKay said,
"Wyoming cannot bail out the federal government." AP
States have parks and states have law enforcement officers. Why don't they offer to manage selected areas rather than pay the high cost of federal management?
Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
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