US Interior Secretary Still Undecided about King Cove Road Exchange

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has not decided the position she will take on a proposed land exchange aimed at building a road through a national wildlife refuge in Alaska, a U.S. government attorney said, according to APM.

Michael T. Gray, a Justice Department attorney, told a federal appeals court panel Haaland planned to review the record and visit King Cove, the community at the heart of the dispute, before making a decision.

King Cove residents have long sought a land connection through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to Cold Bay, which has an all-weather airport. Supporters of the effort see it as a life and safety issue.

The refuge, near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula, contains an internationally recognized habitat for migrating waterfowl.