(Reuters) – The U.S. Interior Department will review the environmental impacts of a possible land swap deal that would allow a new road to cut through an Alaska wildlife refuge, it said on Wednesday.
The move comes two months after Interior Secretary Deb Haaland withdrew a Trump-era land exchange deal between her agency and the Alaska Native American-led King Cove Corporation, but said she would be open to considering other proposals to replace it.
In a notice published in the Federal Register, Interior said it would consider an exchange that would allow for a road corridor for noncommercial use through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and the Izembek Wilderness Area.
Supporters of the swap say the road would give residents of King Cove, a small village of 1,000 people, access to an airstrip in nearby Cold Bay in case of medical or other emergencies.
Environmentalists have said a road would destroy valuable habitat for birds along Kinzarof Lagoon, and would set a dangerous precedent for other wildlife refuges.
The deal set by former President Donald Trump’s administration was controversial because it left open the door to commercial use of the road.
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Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service will accept public comments on the analysis for 30 days.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Aurora Ellis)