Murkowski points to the proposed road from King Cove to Cold Bay as a primary example of an area in which she hopes to see Alaskans gain greater access to land in the state.
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski delivered her annual address to the Alaska Legislature in a joint session Wednesday morning. She spoke at length about her desire to provide Alaskans greater access to the state’s land and resources and to reduce federal regulation. By way of example, she highlighted the proposed road from King Cove to Cold Bay.
“Our first task is really to restore access, to restore access to our lands and our waters. King Cove is probably the first example of that.”
She greeted the King Cove City Administrator, Gary Hennigh, and the Assistant City Administrator, Amber Jusefowytsch, who were in attendance.
“Glad that you made it out of King Cove. Hopefully, you make it safely back into King Cove,” said Murkowski, adding, “but that’s just case and point of what we have had to endure, particularly in that small community.”
Senator Murkowski and Congressman Young have introduced legislation in the U.S. House and Senate that proposes a land swap. It would exchange a roughly 400 acre corridor through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge for about 43,000 acres of state land. The exchange would allow King Cove to complete a road from their village to the all-weather airport at Cold Bay.
The Alaska House and Senate have passed a joint resolution expressing support for the exchange.
Contact the author: avery@kdlg.org or 907-842-5281.
