Grand Canyon Development Plans Will Wait Another Year

"The Navajo Nation Council will not take up a controversial Grand Canyon gondola-ride proposal during its spring session," reports Ron Dungan.

"The heart of the project, known as the Grand Canyon Escalade, is a 1.6-mile gondola tram ride that would drop 3,200 feet into the Canyon, taking visitors from rim to river in about 10 minutes," explains Dungan. "The project would also include commercial and retail space, multimedia complex, a river walk and administrative buildings."

The proposed project has provoked opposition from the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Places, and the American Rivers advocacy organization.

The proposal so far lacks the support necessary from the Navajo Nation Council and the four committees that must consider it before the full council. According to Dungan's assessment of the political situation, the bill could remain alive until late 2018, when a new council is elected.