National Parks will open this weekend after the Obama administration gave states permission to use their own money to pay to run them.
Governors of at least four states asked the administration earlier this week if they could open their parks because the government shutdown is causing huge financial losses in tourist dollars, the Associated Press reports.
Due to the shutdown, all 401 national parks, zoos and museums, including Grand Canyon and Yosemite and Zion national parks, are closed since Oct. 1. Hundreds of thousands of park employees were furloughed due to the shutdown.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell says the government is allowing states to use their own money to keep the parks open but the government will not surrender control of the national parks. Jewell has called for the government to stop the shutdown so that the parks can open.
One of the governors trying to open the parks in Utah governor Gary Herbert. On Thursday, he wired money from state taxpayers to go towards keeping the state's five national parks. He was making a deal to provide $166,000 a day in funding for the five red rock parks and other units of the national park system, beginning Saturday. He plans to keep them open for 10 days and possibly beyond if the state can afford it.
According to Interior Department spokesman Blake Androff, the government isn't planning on reimbursing the states and costs could run into millions of dollars. Congress could allow for reimbursement after the shutdown is over but it is not clear if they'll do that.
In addition to Herbert, governors from Arizona, South Dakota and Colorado have also requested permission to keep their parks open with state funds.
The governors believe that using state funds to pay to keep the parks open as they bring in much more money in tourists dollars to local attractions, restaurants, shopping centers and more.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
