Skift Take
The National Park Service took reigns of the Grand Canyon before the state's money was exhausted, but legislators are now fighting for the full amount and could be waiting for a long time.
Arizona’s senate and congressional delegation are calling for a full refund of money the state sent to reopen the Grand Canyon during the partial government shutdown last month.
The state paid the National Park Service $651,000 to keep the popular tourist destination open for a week. Federal lawmakers reached an agreement on the budget before those seven days were up.
A spokesman for Gov. Jan Brewer says Arizona received a refund of $186,000 on Oct. 25. That money was divided between the state tourism office and the town of Tusayan.
The Arizona delegation sent a letter Wednesday to National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis seeking reimbursement for the remaining $465,000.
Brewer had committed enough money to keep the Grand Canyon open for another nine days, but it wasn’t needed.
Copyright (2013) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Tags: arizona, grand canyon, national parks, shutdown2013, usa
Photo credit: Tourists take photographs of the sunset from Yavapati Point in the Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon National Park / Flickr