Biden administration reverses decision on Alaskan land deal, withdraws approval for road through wildlife refuge.

The Biden administration has reversed a Trump-era land swap deal that would have facilitated the construction of a road in an Alaska wilderness area opposed by environmental groups. The proposed road would have cut through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, threatening the wilderness and wildlife habitat of the refuge. Proponents of the project argued it was required to ensure mostly-Indigenous residents have greater access to emergency services. The Department of the Interior withdrew the land exchange, citing procedural flaws and inconsistency with agency policy, and will initiate another environmental analysis of the proposal as part of President Biden’s conservation agenda.