"But more important is the coastal transportation corridor. Without it, the life we lead in all but the Native villages dependent on subsistence harvest for their economy would be impossible."

Well, the lives that we NOW lead EVERYWHERE in Alaska, including the villages, would be impossible. One of the more cherished Alaskan myths is that folks in the villages - Native or otherwise - live a "subsistence lifestyle". Sure, harvesting local fish, wildlife, and plants is a much larger component of the economy in villages than in urban/suburban Alaska. But no one lives a "subsistence lifestyle", i.e., living entirely, or nearly so, from gathering resources off the land. All of us are quite reliant on the products of the cash economy. All. Think otherwise? Reflect on the chorus for "disaster" relief when the sole fish buyer left Quinhagak. And watch closely as our oil-bubble economy winds down.

There may be a few remarkable souls in the Amazon or Borneo living a subsistence life. Not us.