The U.S. Interior Department has blocked the construction of the 211-mile Ambler road that would provide access to untouched deposits of copper, zinc, lead, silver, and gold in northwestern Alaska.
The decision is another setback for Ambler Metals, formed in 2019 by Trilogy Metals (TSX: TMQ; NYSE: TMQ) and South32 (LSE: S32; ASX: S32; JSE: S32) to explore the Upper Kobuk mineral projects in the state’s Ambler mining district.
In addition, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration announced its plan to protect 28 million acres of land scattered across Alaska that the Trump administration had sought to open for mining and oil and gas drilling. These lands include unique habitats for three major caribou herds, migratory birds, and Pacific salmon.
“Today, my Administration stopped a 211-mile road from carving up a pristine area that Alaska Native communities rely on, in addition to steps we’re taking to maintain protections on 28 million acres in Alaska from mining and drilling. These natural wonders demand our protection,” Biden said in a statement.
Today, my Administration stopped a 211-mile road from carving up a pristine area that Alaska Native communities rely on, in addition to steps we're taking to maintain protections on 28 million acres in Alaska from mining and drilling.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 28, 2024
These natural wonders demand our protection.
The two-lane, all-season gravel road would have run through the Brooks Range foothills and the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, crossing 11 rivers and thousands of streams before it reached the site of a future mine.
The Trump administration approved the Ambler road project permit in 2020. After Biden’s election, the Interior Department ordered a new analysis, citing inadequate environmental impact studies by the previous administration. In April, the department recommended against any proposed version of the road.
The Interior Department argues that the road would disrupt habitats, pollute salmon spawning grounds, and threaten the hunting and fishing traditions of over 30 Alaska Native communities.
Ambler Metals’ Upper Kobuk mineral projects consist of the Arctic and earlier-stage Bornite copper assets.
According to a 2023 feasibility study, Arctic would produce more than 1.9 billion lb. of copper, 2.2 billion lb. of zinc, 335 million lb. of lead, 423,000 oz. of gold, and 36 million oz. of silver over a 13-year mine life. It would cost US$1.2 billion to build.
MINING.COM requested a comment from Ambler Metals about the Interior Department’s decision, but the company did not immediately respond.
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