Nov. 14 – The Biden administration on Wednesday approved a land swap that would allow a controversial gravel road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Alaska.
The Biden administration will not make the last visit to the road, which would travel about 16 miles through the refuge. That decision will fall under the new administration of newly-elected President Donald Trump. But support for the potential road is a first for a Democratic administration, officials said.
The path has long been sought by Alaska’s elected leaders and the village of King Cove, a community of 900 where residents want to improve access to medical care by connecting to a jet-accessible airstrip in Cold Bay. Advocates generally applauded the move.
Conservation and some Alaska tribes quickly denounced the proposal. They have fought vigorously, including in court, citing issues including the value of the 310,000-acre refuge for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday released a draft environmental analysis of the proposed land swap with King Cove Corp., the village’s Alaska Native corporation.
According to a summary of the report, the agency favors land swaps over other options, such as taking no action or allowing ferry or hovercraft access.
Under the preferred land swap, 484 acres of federal land would go to King Cove Corp. The federal government would reclaim 31,000 acres, with 1,700 of those acres falling under Wilderness status with increased protections.
According to the summary, the single-lane road would be 30 kilometers long, of which 25 kilometers would be within the refuge. The road would not be available for commercial use. About 13 miles of the road would be built on land where no previous road existed.
Chantae Kochuten, the village corporation director, said Wednesday evening that she had not yet read the entire document.
“We will review it as soon as possible, but we have no comment at this time,” she said of the village business.
Gary Hennigh, King Cove’s longtime city manager, said that based on initial reactions, people in the village Wednesday are happy to see the proposed road moving forward.
“The idea of being able to leave King Cove safely is very, very good news,” he said. “We haven’t had time to read the (full report) yet, but we have certainly been involved in the process that led to the decision announced today.”
The publication of the document opens a 45-day public comment period starting Friday.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she supports the proposed land swap as a way to finally allow construction of a road through the refuge.
“We have been trying for over 30 years to get this life-saving, single-lane, non-commercial dirt road to limited access for people,” she said.
in 2019, the Trump administration had approved a land swap with the King Cove Corporation to make the road possible.
But Interior Secretary Deb Haaland withdrew that deal last year, finding flaws in the environmental review, including impacts on livelihoods and environmental laws, as well as “the non-public manner” the exchange was made, according to Fish and Wildlife in his statement.
Unlike the exchange proposed under Trump, the new draft environmental review clarifies that promoting economic development does not provide legal support for the exchange, Fish and Wildlife said.
“Any land exchange must further the conservation purposes of the Alaska wildlife refuge while protecting subsistence uses and habitat,” the agency said.
The increased land for the refuge supports these goals, the agency said.
Murkowski said the deal isn’t perfect. The best deal would be a land swap of equal acreage, she said.
“The problem is that every other deal that’s been there hasn’t materialized,” she said.
So far, Democratic administrations dating back to former President Bill Clinton have rejected the path, she said.
And while the Trump administration has moved the ball further than other administrations, that hasn’t lasted either, she said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said he is still reviewing the details.
But he said that while the Trump administration had resolved the issue fairly, Haaland “callously murdered that solution.”
“Now, after nearly four years – and the loss of at least one life – the health and safety of the community is being abused at an outrageous price: 31,000 hectares in exchange for 500 hectares,” he said in an email from his office.
“While I am relieved that this life-saving road can be built, the lives of Alaska Native people should never be taken advantage of, especially by their own federal government,” he said. “The people of King Cove deserve much better.”
The office of Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Haaland’s decision last year to revoke the Trump-era land swap came after she traveled to King Cove to hear from the community about the village’s safety issues. The withdrawal led to the final draft environmental analysis of the land swap.
Haaland said at the time of the withdrawal that she was a “lifelong conservationist.”
But she added that “respecting tribal sovereignty means making sure we listen – really listen – to tribal communities.”
Haaland’s office did not respond to a request for an interview with her. A spokeswoman said the agency could not provide further details following the announcement. Haaland’s social media accounts provided no updates on the potential land swap on Wednesday.
Defenders of Wildlife said in a statement Wednesday that the land swap would undermine the purposes of the refuge and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which officially designated the area as a wildlife refuge instead of its previous category as a wildlife area.
The refuge’s seagrass meadows are among the largest in the world and are home to, among other things, almost the entire world population of Pacific Brant and Emperor geese, the group said. The group said an alternative to a sea ferry was determined to be 99.9% reliable by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2015.
“The Secretary of the Interior does not have the authority to implement this land swap,” said Nicole Whittington-Evans, program director for Defenders of Wildlife Alaska. “Any trade of Izembek Refuge wilderness areas to accommodate a road would damage this world-class wetland and set a dangerous precedent that would allow future secretaries to trade valuable public lands in Alaska to private parties for their profit.”
The Hooper Bay Indigenous Village, the village corporation and other tribal entities from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region and other parts of the state oppose the land swap, according to a statement from Earthjustice.
Residents in the Southwest Alaska region hunt migratory birds, such as the Pacific black goose and emperor geese, that stop to feed on seagrass beds in Izembek before reaching their summer breeding grounds in the delta, the statement said.
A previous Fish and Wildlife environmental study concluded that migratory birds would experience major cumulative impacts from the land swap and road, the statement said.
“Our community has been overlooked in this decision and it is time for that to change,” said Edgar Tall Sr., chief of the Hooper Bay Indigenous Village. “Food insecurity caused by climate change, the Western Alaska salmon crisis, habitat loss, hunting restrictions and other factors are already placing significant stress on our community and testing our ability to hunt, fish and gather in our traditional ways.”
Trustees for Alaska said the group is deeply concerned about any land swap and road project because of the threat to livelihoods, wildlife populations and the integrity of all protected areas.
“The Alaska National Interest Lands Claims Act designated conservation areas to protect livelihoods and wildlife,” said Brook Brisson, principal attorney for Trustees. “We will thoroughly review this draft statement and work with partners to address concerns about the health of animals such as black brant and emperor geese and the continued protection of protected areas in Alaska.”
