This interview originally aired on July 17 on KDLG's Bristol Bay and Beyond.
HOST: For some thirty years and so far to no avail the people of King Cove have been lobbying to build a road through a portion of the Izembek Refuge to connect to the all-weather airport in Cold Bay. The Fish and Wildlife Service says that single lane, ten mile gravel road would pass through Congressionally-designated wilderness in the refuge. It's an area that is also sensitive habitat for area wildlife, including the numerous waterfowl that feed there during migration.
Despite the city, tribe, and borough pleas, which were joined by a number of entities including the state of Alaska, in December 2013 Interior Secretary Sally Jewell adopted the Fish and Wildlife findings and rejected the proposed land swap that would have allowed the road to be built.
King Cove has not quit their efforts, saying the road is a health and safety necessity. US Senator Republican Lisa Murkowski has been a stalwart ally for those residents in their fight; as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Murkowki put langue in the funding bill for the Interior Department that she says should allow for the land swap. Senator Murkowski joins me now to discuss:
Senator Murkowski says Interior’s funding bill is set to go to the Senate floor for a vote. She says its tied up in partisan gridlock; she hopes to see it voted on before the August recess.