Court hears arguments in Alaska refuge road dispute

By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal appeals court is weighing arguments in a dispute over a land exchange proposed during the Trump administration that is aimed at building a road through a national wildlife refuge in Alaska. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month vacated a decision by a divided three-judge panel that reversed a ruling rejecting a proposed land exchange. It also agreed to rehear the case with a fuller panel of judges. That hearing was held Tuesday in California. Residents of the remote community of King Cove have long sought a land connection through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to Cold Bay, which has an all-weather airport. The refuge contains internationally recognized habitat for migrating waterfowl.