North West Arctic Borough and North Slope Borough now support Ambler Access Project, 211-mile industrial road

The North West Arctic Borough and North Slope Borough assemblies have passed a joint resolution endorsing the 211-mile Ambler Access Project, an industrial road planned to reach mines being planned in the Ambler Mining District east of Kotzebue.

The U.S. Interior Department is wavering on a decision on a complete rewrite of the Environmental Impact Statement done for the project or a limited fix of deficiencies that have been identified in lawsuits. The limited fix is he option preferred by Ambler Metals, the joint-venture company doing the exploration.

Endorsement by the two boroughs in northern and northwest Alaska is an important statement of political support aimed at nudging the Interior Department toward a decision. A full rewrite of the EIS would cause a delay in the road and mine development.

The road would be built west from the existing Dalton Highway if construction is approved, but it will also not be built unless the mines are actually developed because tolls paid by mining companies to carry ore would pay for the road.

The joint resolution, passed by the assemblies in Kotzenue and Utquigvik, encourage the completion of the Department of Interior's supplemental environmental review process for the road, officially known as the Ambler Access Project.

“The joint resolution is a very encouraging development with two regions working together to explore the economic possibilities that responsible development of the Ambler Mining District could bring to the area,” said Ramzi Fawaz, president & CEO of Ambler Metals.

Community dialogue that includes local government is a critical part of the equation for all types of natural resource project development, he said. It allows for meaningful tribal engagement related to baseline scientific and socioeconomic work and brings diverse perspectives to the table, Fawaz said.

That is particularly important during the planning and development stages. Historical knowledge of the land and the sharing of ideas are often the spark for bringing new solutions to the surface that ultimately may better serve all stakeholders.

Ambler Metals is a company formed to manage exploration and development in the region with a major focus on Arctic, a high-gradwe copper deposit. South32, an Australian mining company, and Trilogy Metals, a Vancouver,B.C.-based minerals exploration company, are 50-50 partners in Ambler Metals.

The road project itself is being managed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, the state development finance corporation.

The North Slope Borough and Northwest Arctic Borough are the two northernmost home-rule regional governments in Alaska, with planning and permitting authority for their respective regions. They share a border, traditional Inupiat culture, language and values as well as subsistence resources. Both have a vested interest in economic development within the region.

The resolution said that responsible development can go hand-in-hand with protection of subsistence culture and resources.

It also addressed the extensive mineral resources found within the Ambler Mining District, which includes one of the world's largest undeveloped copper-zinc mineral belts.

The region also contains other critical minerals such as cobalt. This underscores the importance of these metals for the global supply chain and elements essential for the manufacture of electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, technology, and defense systems.

“Resource development, when carried out in a way that respects our subsistence lifestyle, culture, and the well being of the land has the potential to create progressive economic and employment outcomes for the people of our communities,” says Northwest Arctic Borough Mayor Dickie Moto.

The road became controversial when some villages near the road voiced objections, which ultimately led to litigation. Some of the communities that filed lawsuits subsequently withdrew from them, citing the economic advantages of a road in lowering the cost of shipping fuel supplies into remote regions.

However, some of the cases are still in court and the rewrite of the Environmental Impact Statement by the Interior Department, however it I done, is an effort to deal with issues raised in the lawsuits.