Court case on King Cove road continues; Biden administration policy on road is to be determined

Map: Shiri Segal/Alaska Public Media

The Biden administration is continuing, at least for now, to defend the Trump administration’s land swap in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

The swap is intended to allow for a road through part of the refuge, to link King Cove and Cold Bay. King Cove residents have for decades pushed the Interior Department to allow the road, and it’s been a top priority of Sen. Lisa Murkowski. They say the road could save lives in a medical emergency, by providing access to Cold Bay’s large runway.

Environmental groups argue that a road would threaten bird populations and other wildlife that depend on the refuge. The groups, represented by Trustees for Alaska, filed a lawsuit and won a court ruling last year that halted the land swap.

The Trump administration appealed, and this week the Biden administration filed another brief in that appeal. But the legal filing does not necessarily mean that the Biden administration will come out in favor of the swap or the road. An Interior department spokesperson said the policy is under review.

Deb Haaland nominated to be Biden’s Interior secretary. At her confirmation hearing last month, she told Murkowski she’s willing to meet with the people of King Cove.

Alaska Public Media

Alaska Public Media is one of our partner stations in Anchorage. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

Sign up for The Signal

Top Alaska stories delivered to your inbox every week

Read next

Site notifications
Update notification options
Subscribe to notifications