Mar. 17—The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals this week issued a ruling in support of a Trump-era decision and a Southwest Alaska village that has long sought construction of an 11-mile road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
A three-judge panel for the court, with one judge dissenting, determined Wednesday that former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt in 2019 correctly approved a land exchange between the Interior Department and King Cove's Alaska Native village corporation, according to the 44-page decision. The land exchange would pave the way for the road.
The village has sought to build the road for decades, arguing that it would prevent deaths by allowing residents to quickly reach the community of Cold Bay, which has an all-weather airport and access to emergency flights. Conservation groups have argued that the road would support commercial interests, such as for fishing, and harm migrating waterfowl and other wildlife that depend on the 310,000-acre refuge near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula.
