Ambler exploration now faces an uncertain future
BY TIM BRADNER In a decision that adds new uncertainty for development of high-grade copper deposits in northwest Alaska, the U.S. Department of the Interior filed a motion Feb. 21 to remand the Final Environmental Impact Statement, or FEIS, and suspend right-of-way permits issued across federal lands to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority for the Ambler Access Project, or AAP. The agency said suspension of the road permits will al- low it to carry out additional supplemental work on the FEIS. Federal attorneys also asked that lawsuits filed against the department by a coalition of national and Alaska environ- mental organizations be suspended. Litigation had been filed in response to the United States Bureau of Land Management’s issuing of a Record of Deci- sion that authorized the right-of-way across federally man- aged lands for AIDEA. The AAP is a 211-mile industrial access road that would be built from the existing Dalton Highway west to the Ambler Mining District in the upper Kobuk River region of the west - ern Brooks Range. Discoveries of copper and other metals have been made over several years in the area, but lack of
access has been a key stumbling block to development. Several years ago, the state of Alaska stepped forward to plan and build the road through the state’s development fi - nance corporation, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, or AIDEA. Under the plan AIDEA would fi - nance and build the road with companies developing mines paying tariff for ore trucked over the road. It is too early to say what the impacts might be on the continued exploration in the Ambler region, where Ambler Metals, a development company held 50-50 by Austra- lia-based South 32 and Vancouver-based Trilogy Metals, are assessing significant discoveries of copper and other metals. A $28 million summer field season was announced in late 2021. In a statement, Trilogy Metals said it was in discus- sions with its partner as well as NANA Regional Corporation, a regional landowner, and the Northwest Arctic Borough to understand potential impacts of the decision. It is likely that after its review the Interior Department will develop a Supplemental Environmental Impact State- ment, which would add considerable delay to the road de- velopment schedule. Delay is a problem in itself but a worse outcome would be if Interior ultimately requires that the road be redesigned and rerouted around lands in the Gate of the Arctic National Park. If that happens the cost of the road would significantly increase along with the cost of moving ore from any mines developed in the Ambler region. In a statement, Trilogy said it believes the five-year permitting process for the Ambler Access Project, “was carried out in an exhaustive, extensive, and robust manner with considerable outreach and accom- modation to affected communities. Trilogy said the scoping period for the AAP, a process of public consultation, had been extended from 90 days to over 330 days; the BLM held 15 public hearings in 13 small com- munities and received more than 7,200 written comments. Subsequently, after the draft EIS was released in August 2019, the BLM held an additional 18 hearings in rural com- munities, hearings in Anchorage and Fairbanks and a hear- ing in Washington, D.C. The BLM received an additional 29,000 written comments to the draft EIS which were scrutinized and incorporated into the FEIS. AIDEA said the development and production of the FEIS and Record of Decision, which cost almost $5 million, was, “an extraordinarily high-quality and comprehensive analysis report.” Tony Giardini, Trilogy’s President and CEO, said: “Fore- most we would like to thank all of the Native villages in the Upper Kobuk Region and the Northwest Arctic Borough that have passed resolutions in favor of the Ambler Access Proj- ect,” or AAP. “This demonstrates the incredible support for the project from our Native Partners. We see this motion (by the Inte - rior Department) as another step in the consultation process leading to the ultimate development of the AAP,” Giardini said.
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The Alaska Miner
Spring 2022
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