"Organized Village of Kake"

The hydro project’s proponents hope it will lower the cost of energy and bring the community one step closer to energy independence.

In an order issued Wednesday, Judge Sharon L. Gleason wrote that federal officials had taken both conservation and public safety concerns into account when it approved Kake’s out-of-season hunt. She also noted that when federal officials reached out to state wildlife managers, they didn’t respond.

The Trump administration’s decision could be reversed through a court challenge or an act of Congress. Alternatively, another presidential administration could revisit the rule — but that would require public comment, meetings and another multi-year process.

If Kake’s system becomes a reality, it could heat the school, senior center and other public buildings while saving the community nearly $100,000 a year.

The Trump administration announced last week that it’s planning a full rollback of the Clinton-era “Roadless Rule” for the Tongass National Forest.

The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is asking the court to intervene on behalf of the Organized Village of Kake which took advantage of the emergency hunt to take two moose and five deer.