Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press
Delicate Arch is seen at Arches National Park on April 25, 2021, near Moab.
Gov. Spencer Cox pledged Thursday to keep national parks and other federal recreation areas open during the impending government shutdown and continue WIC, the federal nutrition program for women and children.
“It’s extremely disappointing that Congress is unwilling to fulfill its most basic obligation of funding the government, but Utah is prepared to step up and do what it takes to reduce the impact of a shutdown on Utah families,” Cox said in a media release.
If Congress doesn’t pass a series of budget bills by Saturday night, which has seemed unlikely, the federal government will go into a shutdown on Sunday.
On Friday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s attempt to prevent a shutdown failed after 21 far-right Republicans joined Democrats in voting against legislation to extend funding through October, reported The New York Times.
Max Gruber, communications coordinator for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, said the state has communicated with the U.S. Department of Interior that it expects to be reimbursed for money spent on federal recreation lands during the shutdown.
Gruber said in an email statement that the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity will be making grant funding available in partnership with nonprofits to keep national parks and federal recreation areas open. Existing funds will also be used from the Cultural Site Stewardship Program for archeological and paleontological sites.
According to The Associated Press, Utah paid $7,500 a day to keep Bryce Canyon, Zion and Arches National Park open during the 2018 shutdown.
The plan will allow for essential services like visitor centers, bathroom and trash cleanup, and permitting to continue in Utah’s national parks, according to a Friday press release from the Utah Office of Tourism.
Along with the parks, Natural Bridges, Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Hovenweek and Dinosaur National Monuments will be funded, as well as the Bear River Bird Refuge and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, said Anna Loughridge, public relations manager with the Office of Tourism.
In Utah County, federal recreation areas include Timpanogos Cave in American Fork, which is a designated national monument, and part of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. It’s unclear if these areas will receive funding.
In a press release on Friday, the Interior Department said the National Park Service will still operate law enforcement and emergency response within the parks as well as protection of federal lands and other property in the park system.
Utahns in need will also see WIC benefits continue through October under the governor’s plan, with the state using funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
WIC, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant, and Children, provides federal money to states for food, health care referrals and nutrition education for low-income pregnant and postpartum women and their children.
According to the governor’s office, 44,000 women and children in Utah are currently utilizing the program, and during 2020-2021, nearly 18% of all moms in Utah were enrolled during their pregnancy.
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