Cascadia sues BIA for release of information

Cascadia Wildlands Project filed a freedom of information act lawsuit against the Bureau of Indian Affairs today, in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon. We are demanding that the BIA turn over all documents related to the proposed Shepard Point Road in Cordova, Alaska.

The BIA recently made a decision to construct the controversial road and port project (see our previous post). Unfortunately, they chose the most damaging, most expensive, and least effective alternative location for the facility—at the bottom of an avalanche chute, at a place called Shepard Point. 

We suspect the recent decision was motivated more by political favor-trading, than by project criteria of what location would be best for oil spill response. The documents we requested are expected to reveal some of the back-room machinations behind this decision. Separate, previous FOIA requests have showed high-level involvement, including by former Governor Murkowski, Sen. Ted Stevens, and now-Federal Gasline Coordinator Drue Pearce. 

Legally our case is open and shut. I expect a speedy resolution. The BIA has just flat ignored the law. 

Today's FOIA lawsuit is the latest chapter in the project's divisive history. We hope it's one of the last. Re-directing this pork-barrel project to one of the alternative locations closer to town would better serve spill response, avoid environmental and safety problems, and cost only half as much as BIA's proposal. 

BIA's project has big problems. Sooner or later, they'll have to stop hiding and face up to them. 

Read the Complaint

/FOIA%20Complaint.pdf