The Trump administration is poised to approve a deal that would allow a contentious road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, a vast wild area in southwestern Alaska, according to internal Interior Department documents reviewed by The New York Times.
The agreement, which is not yet final, is the latest twist in a decades-long fight over the road that has reverberated across Alaska and the nation’s capital. The first Trump administration approved a similar deal in 2019, but the Biden administration canceled it in 2023, saying Trump officials failed to consider the effects of road construction on wildlife and Alaska Native communities.
The deal calls for the Interior Department to transfer 490 acres of land within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to King Cove Corporation, a tribal organization that wants to build the road, according to the documents. In exchange, King Cove Corporation would give the government thousands of acres of its own land, some of which would be added to the refuge, the documents show.
Proponents of the road say it is essential for connecting the remote town of King Cove with an airport that could be used for emergency medical evacuations. Opponents say road construction would cause irreparable harm to wildlife as well as many Alaska Native tribes that rely on hunting and fishing.
The agreement was first reported by E & E News. Elizabeth Peace, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, confirmed that the agency was considering a deal but declined to provide details.
“The department is moving forward with required reviews to evaluate a potential land exchange that would enable a road between King Cove and Cold Bay,” Ms. Peace said in an email. “We are committed to completing this process in full compliance with federal law and with robust public and tribal engagement.”
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The post Trump Nears Deal for Road Through Alaskan Wildlife Refuge appeared first on New York Times.
