BY GAIL BINKLEY
A committee of the Navajo Nation Council has given a thumbs-down to legislation to authorize the massive proposed Grand Canyon Escalade Project.
On Tuesday, the Budget and Finance Committee voted 3 to 1 to give a “do not pass” recommendation to the bill. The legislation calls for the Navajo Nation to spend $65 million on infrastructure to enable the billion-dollar project to be built near the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers. It would include a discovery center, restaurant, shops and hotels on the rim of the Grand Canyon outside the park boundary. A 1.6-mile gondola would carry visitors to the canyon bottom. Confluence Partners LLC , the development company, which includes former Navajo President Albert Hale, says the project would create thousands of jobs. The Navajo Times reports the master agreement would give the tribe 8 to 18 percent of total revenues, depending on visitation. Tuesday’s vote came after a hearing at which passions the Escalade ran high...