EventOn Aug. 26 the U.S. Army Corps suspended the wetlands‑fill permit for an 18.9‑mile road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, after Judge Sharon Gleason overturned a land trade on Aug. 18. Alaska DOT & PF still plans a 2.8‑mile segment in September, arguing it need not the permit. The $18 million project—$16.4 million federal—would link King Cove to Cold Bay airport, but opponents say it would damage wetlands vital to millions of migratory birds.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has suspended the wetlands‑fill permit that allowed construction of an 18.9‑mile road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, a move that leaves state officials still preparing to build a 2.8‑mile segment outside the permit and fuels a legal dispute over the project’s environmental and land‑trade requirements.
Federal regulators have suspended the wetlands‑fill permit that authorized an 18.9‑mile road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, while state officials say construction of a 2.8‑mile segment that does not need the permit will still proceed in September. The move follows a court overturning a land trade needed for the project and sparks legal conflict between the state and environmental and Native tribal groups.
