Officials from the Alaska Peninsula community of King Cove are pleased with today’s Senate passage of a huge lands bill that includes language authorizing the Interior Secretary to determine whether a land exchange in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is a good idea. The legislation also requires an Environmental Impact Statement that would examine how an emergency road from King Cove to Cold Bay may impact the refuge. King Cove mayor Ernest Weiss says currently King Cove residents can only access the airport at Cold Bay by using a hovercraft.
Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage
