Sen. Murkowski Notifies Jewell of Latest King Cove Medevac

Marks 8th Medevac in 2015 and 24th Since Rejection of Life-Saving Road

June 11, 2015
01:00 PM

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today sent a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell urging her to reverse her devastating rejection of a life-saving road for the remote community of King Cove, Alaska. 

Murkowski’s letter was prompted by news of another medevac from King Cove. The medevac – of a woman in her 80s struggling with internal organ issues – was carried out by Guardian Flight on the morning of May 21, nearly 20 hours after she first arrived at King Cove’s medical clinic. It marked the eighth medevac of 2015, and the 24th medevac since Jewell rejected a nearly 300:1, congressionally-approved, presidentially-signed land exchange needed to facilitate a short, gravel, one-lane, non-commercial road from King Cove to the all-weather airport in neighboring Cold Bay. 

Earlier this year, in an appearance before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Jewell was unaware of the number of medevacs from King Cove, both this year and in total since her misguided decision on December 23, 2013. Murkowski sent Jewell a full list of the medevacs in early March, and will notify Jewell of each additional medevac.   

The short road is necessary in order to provide King Cove with reliable access to medical care in the event of emergencies and severe weather conditions, which it has lacked since the federal government created the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. Last week, National Review published a feature on this issue entitled “Deadly Environmentalism.”  

A copy of Murkowski’s latest letter is attached. More information King Cove’s life-saving road is available on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s website.