Murkowski: Federal Government Forcing Isolated Alaska Native Community to Live in Fear

Statement

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today conducted oversight of the Department of the Interior's callous decision to deny the Alaska Native community of King Cove reliable access to medical transportation. Murkowski pointed to the administration's rejection of an 11-mile, non-commercial use, gravel road that would give residents of King Cove access to emergency medical care through the all-weather airport in nearby Cold Bay, Alaska.

"The Interior Department's heartless decision to reject access to life-saving emergency medical care was callous and cynical. It shattered the trust responsibility that the federal government is supposed to have to our nation's Native peoples. It has left the people of King Cove in the same situation they have been in for decades: at the mercy of the elements, left to suffer needless pain, and perhaps even death, should they ever have a medical emergency," Murkowski said. "It's time to ensure that King Cove finally has reliable access to emergency medical transportation -- something that virtually every other American takes for granted."

Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, at Thursday's hearing received testimony from residents of King Cove about the life-and-death choices they face in trying to reach safety during medical emergencies.

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