Tribe rejects plan to build tram, hotel in Grand Canyon
Legislation to build an aerial tram to take paying visitors to a riverside boardwalk in the Grand Canyon has been voted down by the Navajo Nation Council.
Members of the council voted 16-2 against the bill during a special session Tuesday in Window Rock, Arizona. It was the first time the full council had taken up the measure since it was introduced last year.
The proposal had gotten a cold reception from lawmakers from the nation’s largest American Indian reservation even before Tuesday’s lengthy debate.
Some lawmakers raised concerns about the development resulting in more public safety demands, while others questioned a requirement for the tribe to invest $65 million for roads, water and power lines, and communications at the 420-acre site that borders Grand Canyon National Park on the reservation.