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THE JOURNAL - AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION BY THE ALASKA MINERS ASSOCIATION
NOVEMBER 2025 | WWW.ALASKAMINERS.ORG
Ambler Road decision is a victory for Alaska
I n early October, President Donald Trump approved the appeal of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), directing his Administration to promptly issue authorizations necessary for the Ambler Road Project. President Trump’s decision overturns the Biden Administration’s 2024 rejec- tion of the road and proceeds forward with a project that will provide access to the Ambler Mining District. “We want to thank President Trump for overturning the harmful 2024 decision on the Ambler Road Project and prioritizing access to Alaska’s critical minerals,” said Deantha Skibinski, AMA Executive Director. “The Biden Administration’s nearly unprecedented “no action” alter- native on the Ambler Road project and flat refusal to grant access that was promised in the Alaska National Interest Land Claims Act (ANILCA) was unconscionable. With stable policies in place, Alaska now stands ready to supply the nation with the minerals critical to our national security and our economy." U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Nick Begich, all R-Alaska, also applauded the President's move and highlighted the value Alaska mining presents to the state and country. “I thank President Trump for issuing this determination and getting the Ambler project back on track after it was derailed by politics at the end of the Biden administration. Congress enshrined this project’s approval into federal law in 1980 as part of a ‘grand bargain’ to conserve more than 100 million acres of land in Alaska, and it has more national significance now than ever,” Murkowski said. “The President’s re-approval will unlock a world-class mining district, deliver quality-of-life benefits for communities in the region, and help grow Alaska’s economy. It will also improve our national security by
development in the United States,” Begich said. “By advancing this access, we are creating new opportunities for Alas- kans while strengthening America’s supply chain and reducing depen- dence on foreign adversaries for our critical mineral needs. I applaud the President’s decision to support this appeal, and I look forward to working with the Administration, state lead- ers, and Alaska Native communities to ensure this project moves forward in a way that benefits all Alaskans.” The Ambler Access Project will pro- vide surface transportation access to the Ambler Mining District and enable the domestic development of critical minerals such as copper, cobalt, gallium, and germanium. The U.S. heavily depends on foreign nations for many of the minerals within the Ambler District, including several for which China has threat- ened to cut off U.S. supplies. ANILCA established a right-of-way (ROW) and ensured access across federal lands by stating that the Sec- retary of the Interior “shall permit” a road “from the Ambler Mining District to the Alaska Pipeline Haul Road.” That provision was included in ANILCA to ensure balance between conservation — the creation of the surrounding 8.4-million-acre Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve — and responsible resource development to began in 2015. The project was fully approved, and ROW permits were issued, in 2020. In 2022, however, the Biden Administration sought a voluntary court remand to conduct a Supplemental Environmental benefit Alaska and the nation. Federal permitting for Ambler Impact Statement (SEIS). Last June, the Biden Administration stunningly rejected the project in its entirety, ignoring the law and greatly exag- gerating its potential impacts to justify its selection of the “no action” alternative.
strengthening our mineral security and enabling us to produce more of our most important resources here at home. I look forward to federal agen- cies promptly re-issuing permits and authorizations so that the Ambler access project can finally proceed, and to working with the local people and Alaska Native Corporations to ensure a successful project.” “I want to thank President Trump and his team, especially Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum, for grant- ing this appeal under Section 1106 of ANILCA, rolling back the Biden administration’s egregious and law- less denial of a right-of-way for the Ambler Access Project,” Sullivan said. “This appeal is great news for Alaska, for jobs for our workers, for American national security, for reducing our country’s critical mineral depen- dence on China, and for the incred- ible Alaskans of the region. I just spoke by phone with the President about this important announcement, and he reiterated his strong com- mitment to advancing the Ambler Access Project, and so many other important projects for our state, including the King Cove Road and the Alaska LNG Project. "I’ve always said the Ambler Access Project has to be done right, with close consultation with Alaska Native and community leaders and with respect for our environment and subsistence way of life. We were able to make great progress on these fronts under the first Trump adminis- tration, but the Biden administration came in and killed this project and the thousands of good-paying jobs, economic opportunity, and improved cost of living across the region that would come with it, subverting the clear intent of ANILCA. I’m glad to see another critically important project for our state’s economy and working families being put back on track.” “The Ambler Mining District is a strategic asset for Alaska and an important pathway to critical mineral
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