Posted on 07/29/2014 8:25:10 PM PDT by Rusty0604
Alaskans living on an isolated Aleutian Island, miles from emergency medical care, sued the Obama administration in 2013 for blocking a gravel road that would wind through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and allow residents to reach a vital airport.
Since then, the administration has not budged – and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell (pictured) reportedly told concerned state lawmakers to "get over it" on Friday.
Majority Leader Lance Pruitt told KTUU News that the Secretary made the dismissive comments while meeting with him in Washington, D.C., on Friday.
“[Jewell] wishes Alaskans would just get over this,” Pruitt said. “She implied that this issue was very small."
The Department of Interior immediately parried with a denial of Jewell’s alleged remarks.
Alaskan residents also remain skeptical of the department’s denial, pointing to Jewell’s cold demeanor towards the community and its predicament.
According to the local residents and KTUU News, the long and difficult boat ride to the nearest airport in Cold Bay killed many sick or injured people who could not survive the trek.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
The most petty and political hostile admin ever
They should just build the damned road. What are the feds gonna do? It’s Alaska. I doubt Obama will put in an appearance.
Screw ‘em! Just build the road, and get the Sheriff to defend it. The feds have no right to refuse this.
So what’s the response from Murkowski???? Alaskans elected this RINO looks like their vote isn’t reaping any gain.
This again? I remember this from years ago - 1998 to be exact. 16 years ago!
From the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/25/opinion/road-to-ruin.html) -
“Yet development advocates, led by Mr. Murkowski and Mr. Young, are claiming that their $40 million gravel road around the bay — and straight through the breeding areas of grizzlies, salmon and waterfowl — is the only solution.
“It isn’t, of course. And they know it. Right now there are two existing all-weather routes into Cold Bay, one by air and one by water. The Coast Guard already has an evacuation helicopter on Kodiak Island that might be used. If a second helicopter were needed it would cost a lot less than $40 million. And for the price of one road, which might be closed by snow and ice in winter, the town could own and operate an entire fleet of all-weather boats.
“Don’t take my word for it. In 1994 Alaska’s own Department of Transportation issued a study ranking the air and water routes as safer and less expensive than a road.
“Or ask native Alaskans. An assembly of 56 native villages in western Alaska recently passed a resolution against the road because it would threaten their subsistence culture, which depends on the migratory birds and salmon runs in the refuge. A petition revealed that a majority of the people in Cold Bay are also against the road and favor some alternative.”
Thanks for the info.
Let me get this straight. It is OK to build a bridge to nowhere, but not OK to build a bridge to somewhere.
Ping.
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
Helicopters cannot always fly in. A couple times we had to take the patient via the ground to the nearest airport for fixed wing transfer.
And airplanes and helicopters can crash.
As for bosts, my only expertise was in Africa, not in dangerous waters.
Precisely.
Time for states to tell the Government to get stuffed. Start building the road on its own. Whats Obama gonna do, send the army to stop it.
Hey, Obama’s offering $7,000 a month for gullible Americans to take in South American gang-bangers. Plus he’s flying them around the country ... spreading diseases. That COSTS BIG BUCKS. How dare Alaska ask for anything... are they racist or what? /s
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