BLM Includes Three Alternative Ambler Road Routes
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Ambler Mining District in Northwest Alaska. “The voices opposing the Ambler Access Project have overlooked the growing support for the project among tribal communities. Most of these voices are not from the region,” Vincent Simon Sr., a former chief and second chief for Allakaket Village, penned in an Oct. 14 editorial in the Alaska Daily News. “Eleven of the villages closest to the project have voiced their support for the permitting process to proceed.” This includes Allakaket and the nearby village of Huslia, which both unanimously voted to withdraw from a lawsuit against the previous federal decision to issue permits for the Ambler Road. “This change is the result of improved communication between the project proponents, tribal leaders and communities, along with commitments that the proposed road will follow,” Simon wrote. Many who live in the area near the road believe that the proposed road would bring economic benefits that would allow residents to afford to stay in the region and carry out their subsistence lifestyle. “The AAP is threatened by the current legal wrangling and roadblocks being created by opponents to the
project and federal agencies. This threatens the investment and progress that the project can deliver to our region,” Simon penned in his editorial. “Time is of the essence; our villages suffer economically and our residents are struggling. The authorities must listen to the voices who have lived on these lands and stewarded Alaska for time immemorial.” Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, addressed both the local economic benefits and national need for access to the Ambler District in her response to BLM’s completion of the draft SEIS. “Projects in the Ambler mining district could create good-paying jobs for local communities while also developing an Alaska-based supply chain for the critical minerals our country needs to compete with China and create a cleaner energy grid,” she said. “I will continue to encourage the Interior Department to complete this process without further delays.” While no action is always an alternative put forward in environmental impact statements prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), many experts believe this is not a legal alternative for the Ambler Road due to a longstanding congressional mandate.
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November 2023 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
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