Nothing more patriotic on the Fourth of July than to petition your government. Photo credit: Becky Knight
Fed up with the State of Alaska’s and State Senator Stedman’s continued blind-eye to widespread public opposition to the so-called “Kake Access Project,” local citizens, the Organized Village of Kake, and allies acted in early July against issuance of a federal permit that the project needs. The project is a road from Kake to a remote shoreline near the northeast corner of Kupreanof Island.
On July 6, an attorney-crafted letter and a petition were sent to the US Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps), during the only opportunity for on-the-record public input for this latest version of what is known regionally as the “$40 Million Road to Nowhere.” Efforts to build the road, in one form or another have been attempted since the early 1990’s but have failed largely because it simply does not pencil out and does more harm than good.
Earthjustice, representing three clients – the Alaska Rainforest Defenders (ARD), the Organized Village of Kake (OVK), and the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) – submitted the letter to the Corps. It first requests that the required tribal consultations and public hearings be conducted, in person after the threat of the pandemic has subsided. If after these public consultations the Corps still intends to proceed with the permitting process, we also requested that a project-specific Environmental Impact Statement be completed, to ensure that adequate information about the purpose, scope, and impacts of the project is available to inform further public comment and the Corp's ultimate decision. The letter also highlights relevant legal requirements the Corps must comply with, including the federal Clean Water Act regulations.
Separately, 118 Petersburg Borough residents amounting to a broad cross-section of the community signed a petition requesting the Corps to hold a local public hearing as part of the permitting process, that the hearing be consistent with the needs of the state fiscal crisis and Covid-19 pandemic, and that it be held during a time convenient to the commercial fishing community. The petition also requests that an Environmental Impact Statement be completed on the project.
As of press time, we are waiting for a response from the USACE.