Feds Announce $46M Deal to Buy State Land in Grand Teton

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Federal officials have struck a deal with Wyoming to buy a square mile of state land inside Grand Teton National Park for $46 million by the end of this year.

Gov. Matt Mead and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced the agreement Monday at the Western Governors' Association meeting in Jackson. Under the deal, Congress would appropriate half of the purchase price with private donations covering the rest. The property in Jackson Hole offers a wide view of the Teton Range.

Wyoming has owned the land since statehood. The land never became part of Grand Teton despite being surrounded by park land on all sides. Wyoming officials have been prodding the Interior Department to buy the land for years and even have threatened to sell the land to the highest bidder.