State Department of Law officials are taking new steps in support of completing construction of an 18-mile road between King Cove and the Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula.
Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox said on Feb. 4 that the state has filed three new motions in federal court as part of an expedited briefing schedule, which the court can respond to by approving or halting the project.
The state is seeking the final necessary permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
King Cove’s roughly 750 residents have for years often had to rely on dangerous travel by air or sea to reach the all-weather Cold Bay airport in medical emergencies.
On Oct. 21, 2025, the Interior Department and King Cove Corp. entered into an agreement for the exchange of lands. The agreement spelled out the exchange of certain federal lands to the village Native corporation necessary for construction of the single-lane gravel road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to connect the two communities.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuits, who oppose construction of the road, have challenged the legality of the exchange agreement. The Wilderness Society and several other environmental groups contend that the road would irrevocably damage crucial wetlands and set a dangerous precedent for designated wilderness.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has for years actively supported waterfowl hunting within Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, which is renowned for its populations of Pacific black brant, Canada geese and sea ducks. Hunting there, under federal regulations, is typically focused on the fall season in the 150-square mile Izembek Lagoon.
