Democratic President Joe Biden and his administration say they are for the people, right? So why are they making yet another decision that will directly and adversely affect the lives of people?
News of another Biden failure comes as yet another life-saving project is nixed or at least delayed and severely questioned in Alaska. This time, it’s not about the oil industry, although that is still taking numerous hits from Biden.
Instead, it’s literally about the ability to provide medical treatment, supplies, and other provisions to hard-to-reach communities in Northern Alaska.
As I’m sure you can imagine, the snow and cold temperatures usually seen in our largest state far too often prevent necessary supplies and shipments to small communities, places like King Cove, which during the winter months is pretty much cut off from the rest of the world for weeks at a time.
Naturally, state leadership, as well as leading Native American groups in the state, have sought a solution to this issue, at least for King Cove, which is primarily populated by indigenous people. The idea is to build a small road from the all-weather airport in Cold Bay, the closest one in any direction, to King Cove, allowing incoming supply flights to have access to the small community and its people.
The only problem is that the only foreseeable way to see that this happens is to build the road right through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
The project went through a series of assessments, including how it would affect local tribes, wildlife, the land itself, and so on. And under the Trump administration, it was finally approved.
But, of course, environmentalists are none too thrilled about the whole thing.
And so, they’ve been bending Biden’s ear to their cries, alleging that such a road would have adverse effects on the land and the refuge it runs through. Unsurprisingly, Biden has recently caved on the issue.
According to his Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, another environmental analysis is necessary as there are “procedural flaws” in the one done under Trump. She also says that she needs to make sure the local tribes are actually being heard about the situation.
As I stated before, though, those tribes have already been heard from. And all of them are for it. Leaders from groups such as the National Congress of American Indians and the Alaska Federation of Natives have supported the project from the get-go.
I mean, should it be given the green light, the indigenous people of King Cove will actually have a fighting chance during the winter, with access to supplies and materials, not to mention medical attention they’ve had to go months without at a time.
Besides, it’s not like this will be a monstrous five-lane interstate or anything. Hell, it won’t even be paved. According to the project, all that will be built is a thin, one-lane gravel road. There won’t be sidewalks or lights lining it; there won’t be concrete needed or even painted lines. It’s just gravel.
Tell me, what’s so dangerous to wildlife about that?
Plus, it’s not like it’s going to get a whole lot of travel. This doesn’t go anywhere but to an airport, granted that airport is the community’s one and only link to incoming supplies.
So the question is, who is really more important to Biden here? The lives of the mostly indigenous people he claims to care so much about, or the fact that caribou in the region might have to cross a gravel road every now and then?
I’d think the answer would be pretty clear. But as we all know, nothing is that simple for Biden and his ilk.
