The Trump administration has approved a proposed 211-mile, industrial access road through Alaska’s Brooks Range to allow mining of copper, cobalt, gold and other minerals. The long-debated Ambler Road project was originally approved during President Trump’s first term but was later blocked by the Biden administration due to environmental concerns.
The current administration has instructed the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reissue necessary permits to construct the two-lane gravel road that will provide essential surface transportation access for the more than 1,700 active mining claims in the Ambler Mining District.
Supporters of the project, including Alaska’s congressional delegation, have said the road is needed to reach a large copper deposit worth more than $7 billion. However, opponents, including a consortium of 40 federally recognized tribes, worry that development allowed by the road would put subsistence harvests at risk because the lands include important habitat for salmon and caribou. Further, the road would cut through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and cross 11 rivers and thousands of streams.
In a related note, the White House also announced that the government is investing $35.6 million to support exploration in the Ambler Mining District. The investment provides the government with a 10% equity stake in Canadian exploration company Trilogy Metals and includes warrants to purchase an additional 7.5% of the company.
Ambler Metals, a Trilogy Metals and South32 joint venture, is focused on the development of the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects in northwestern Alaska.
Sources: AP and The White House