Ambler Road: Difference between revisions

Ambler Road
Proposed route of the road, with an alternative route shown
Proposed by	Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority
Proposed length	211 miles
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The Ambler Road is the common name for the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project—a proposed industrial haul road that would connect the Dalton Highway to the area around the Ambler Mining District, allowing for future mining projects in the area. The project is being managed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA)—Alaska's state-owned economic development authority.

In April 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, evaluating the project's potential impact on the environment and nearby communities. The BLM selected the "no action" alternative, effectively halting the project.

The Ambler Mineral Belt contains valuable deposits of copper and cobalt. After access to the area by rail or barge was determined to be unfeasible, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities began working toward building a road. This project was transferred to AIDEA in 2013.

The 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act required the National Park Service to grant right-of-way access through Gates of the Arctic National Park to a road providing access to the Ambler Mining District. However, as the proposed road would have to pass through areas managed by the BLM, it was still subject to environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.

After access to the area by rail or barge was determined to be unfeasible, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities began working toward building a road. This project was transferred to AIDEA in 2013.

On February 11, 2020, Ambler Metals LLC was formed to pursue mining projects in the Ambler Mining District. The company is a joint venture between Trilogy Metals and South32, with each company holding a 50% stake.^[1]

In 2020, the BLM released its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposal, selecting AIDEA's proposed 211-mile route as its preferred alternative. This conclusion was challenged in court, leading the BLM to begin work on a broader Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) that would evaluate impacts not covered by the initial EIS.

In October 2023, Doyon, Limited announced that it would not renew its land-use agreement with AIDEA once it expired in April 2024, blocking access to 10-12 miles of two potential routes for the Ambler Road, as well as gravel pits needed for road construction. This action was due at least in part to a dispute between Doyon and AIDEA regarding a separate project.^[2]

The Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement was released in late 2023 and concluded that 66 communities would see their subsistence practices impacted by the project instead of the 27 included in the initial EIS. The SEIS was finalized in April of 2024, with the BLM this time selecting "no action" as its preferred alternative. This decision was announced at the same time as new restrictions on development within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska were finalized.

Opponents of the project have cited the potential environmental and subsistence impacts of the road itself and subsequent mining projects. There has a been a particular focus on potential disruptions of caribou migration patterns, as well as the impact on downstream fisheries from any future releases of mining waste. There has also been concern that the road could be opened to the public—as happened with the Dalton Highway—potentially allowing outside hunters and bootleggers to more easily access the region.

A group of regional residents called Protect the Kobuk has organized opposition to the road in the Northwest Arctic Borough.

In addition to protect the Kobuk, the following notable organizations have publicly opposed the project:

• Audobon Alaska
• Center for American Progress
• Native Movement
• Northern Alaska Environmental Center
• Sierra Club
• Tanana Chiefs Conference^[3]
• Winter Wildlands Alliance

• Protect the Kobuk website
• Ambler Access Project website