Washington, DC — Today, on the 39th anniversary of Earth Day, Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva welcomed the announcement that the State of Arizona and Congressional District 7 will receive funds for national park areas from the Department of Interior through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan (ARRA).
The National Park Service will invest $750 million for nearly 800 projects. Projects will preserve and protect national icons and historic landscapes, improve energy efficiency and renewable energy use, remediate abandoned mine lands, and provide $15 million in grants to protect and restore buildings at historically black colleges and universities. Additional funding through the Federal Highway Administration will improve park roads for millions of visitors.
Arizona will receive $20,417,000 for 52 projects.
The Arizona projects are:
- Canyon de Chelly $2,894,000
- Casa Grande Ruins $55,000
- Chiricahua National Monument $838,000
- Coronado National Monument $948,000
- Fort Bowie National Historic Site $164,000
- Glen Canyon $531,000
- Grand Canyon National Park $10,887,000
- Grand Canyon Parashant $454,000
- Hubbell Trading Post $86,000
- Navajo National Monument $65,000
- Petrified National Forest $441,000
- Pipe Spring National Monument $190,000
- Sunset Crater $53,000
- Tonto National Monument $125,000
- Walnut Canyon $51,000
- Wupatki National Monument $134,000
In Congressional District 7, the following parks will receive:
- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, $1,025,000
- Saguaro National Park $1,432,000
- Tumacácori National Historical Park, $44,000
“Earth Day gives the country an opportunity to focus on the key challenges facing us in preserving our planet,” said Grijalva. “And the funding for our National Parks could not have come at a more crucial time. These grants will not only give our state the means to preserve our natural heritage and the surrounding beauty that Arizona is known for but enhance the health of our National Parks and the quality of the visitor experience.”
For more information on the projects, please visit http://www.interior.gov/recovery/nps.