1 week Ago
An access road runs between the community of Kobuk and the Bornite camp in the Ambler Mining District, on July 24, 2021. The area has been explored for its mineral potential since the 1950s, and contains a number of significant copper, zinc, lead, gold, silver and cobalt deposits. (Loren Holmes / ADN) Northwest Alaska’s regional Native corporation said Wednesday that it is withdrawing its support for the Ambler Road, adding another hurdle for the controversial project.
The decision comes less than a month after the Biden administration moved to block the proposed 211-mile road, which would stretch from the Dalton Highway to the Ambler Mining District and provide infrastructure for potential copper and zinc development. NANA Corp. leadership said in a written statement that the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority in charge of the Ambler Road project has not consulted Upper Kobuk residents and organizations enough; has not ensured controlled, permitted access along the route; and has not sufficiently shown it can protect subsistence resources in the area the road would cut through.
As a result, NANA said its board of directors decided May 2 that it won’t renew the three-year land-use surface permit, which it issued to AIDEA and is set to expire this year. “This decision reflects unmet criteria, insufficient consultation, and a lack of confidence in the project’s alignment with our values and community interests,” NANA leadership said in the statement. �.
