U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska released a ruling that sets aside and vacates a small land exchange between the Department of the Interior and the King Cove Corporation.
“This is a disappointing case and a disappointing ruling," Murkowski said. “There have been nearly 100 medevacs in King Cove - many carried out by the Coast Guard - since 2014 alone. There is no question that the people who live there need a single-lane, gravel, non-commercial road to protect their health and safety. I will never stop until this road is a reality and the nearly 1,000 residents of this isolated community have a lifeline for emergency medical care."
Murkowski is chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and, among other efforts, held a full committee hearing in 2016 to spotlight the need for a life-saving road. To understand why King Cove needs a life-saving road, we strongly encourage you to watch the archived webcast of that hearing and read “Deadly Environmentalism " by Ian Tuttle of the National Review.
