As King Cove road issue heads to federal appeals court, Peltola reiterates her support

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola reiterated her support for construction of the proposed Izembek road between Cold Bay and King Cove during a visit to King Cove this month.

Peltola’s position is identical to the one held by incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, whom Peltola is challenging in the November general election.

In the weeks before the election, Peltola has limited her debate appearances against Sullivan and is campaigning in rural Alaska. On Tuesday, when President Donald Trump is scheduled to rally in Wasilla with Sullivan, Peltola is expected to be in Kotzebue. 

Petersburg’s Dan J. Sullivan and Republican candidate Gerald Heikes are also on the November U.S. Senate ballot.

In a prepared statement released Oct. 2, Peltola said that if elected, she will “ensure completion of the Izembek road.” The road is also commonly referred to as the King Cove road.

King Cove’s runway is frequently limited by weather, and Cold Bay, 19 miles away, has a long paved runway occasionally used as an emergency landing point for trans-Pacific flights.

But between the two is the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and several miles of federally designated wilderness. 

Environmental groups have opposed the construction of a road between the two communities, frequently fighting it in court. In August, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason overturned a land trade that would have permitted road construction to take place. 

Two days before Peltola’s visit, the federal government, state of Alaska and the local Alaska Native Corporation, King Cove Corp., appealed Gleason’s decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is expected to rule by spring.

“A road would provide safe, reliable, and affordable access to the Cold Bay airport, which would give King Cove residents access to quotidian necessities, like fresh groceries, which most of us take for granted,” the appellants stated in their filing. “But most relevant for this motion, the road would facilitate medical evacuations.”

They said construction on the road could begin by April and be completed next summer if the 9th Circuit overturns Gleason’s ruling.

In an August forum hosted by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, Peltola said she isn’t happy with the way the federal government has blocked development in Alaska wetlands.

For example, she said, she opposes the EPA’s pre-emptive veto of Pebble Mine even though she disagrees with the project.

That veto, and federal obstacles to the Izembek road, she said, are indicators that “DC’s one-size-fits-all policy just doesn’t fit the needs of Alaskans.”

“We’re talking about an 11-mile gravel road, and this is a life-and-death issue for the people of Cold Bay, and it is being completely precluded because of the wetlands,” she said.

At the AOGA event, Sullivan said, “I just want to mention I do agree with my opponent on King Cove.”

He has visited the community several times while in office, including earlier this year.

He went on to add that if Peltola is elected, it increases the chances that Democrats will take control of the U.S. Senate, and Democratic administrations have opposed the Izembek road.

“The senators who she would empower … if she got elected, they’re all the ones against the King Cove Road. So you can’t have it both ways. You can’t empower the people who want to shut us down and then say, ‘I don’t want to shut you down,’” Sullivan said. 

In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for Peltola’s campaign said, “The people of King Cove can’t afford to wait any longer to access the healthcare and services they need, and Mary will stand up to anyone to help get this project across the finish line. Mary stood up to her own party to support this life-saving road on behalf of the Alaskans in King Cove, and in the Senate she’ll keep fighting to advance projects that are important to Alaskans.”