One proposed development that conservationists feared would appear next door to Grand Canyon National Park now seems unlikely to materialize, as the new leader of the Navajo Nation has gone on record opposing the Grand Canyon Escalade project that envisioned a tram from rim to river.

On Tuesday, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye expressed his opposition to the project, saying, “The Begaye-Nez administration will vet and evaluate each project and determine whether the project will be in the best interest of the Navajo Nation and our people. As for the project, Grand Canyon Escalade, this Administration has already stated it does not support the Grand Canyon Escalade project and that position has not changed ... it is not in the best interest of the Navajo Nation and the Navajo people.”

Earlier this year, American Rivers listed the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon as America’s Most Endangered River because of a battery of threats surrounding the Grand Canyon. One of these threats was the proposed Grand Canyon Escalade project, which "would create a massive development and tramway with noise, trash, and pollution scarring the heart of the canyon," the group said

Earlier this year the governors of Zuni Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo and the Hopi Tribe expressed their unanimous opposition to the Grand Canyon Escalade Project..

“The Grand Canyon should be protected for all of us, for all time. We applaud President Begaye’s stance against the Escalade project and support his efforts to bring economic development to the Navajo Nation while safeguarding one of our nation’s irreplaceable natural treasures,” said Bob Irvin, president of American Rivers.