Ambler Access Road

Ambler Metals is committed to working collaboratively with local villages to responsibly develop resources in the Ambler mining region. Land access is necessary for the development of the Ambler Mining District, an area that offers high grade copper, zinc, and other critical minerals necessary for a sustainable future. Ambler Metals is working alongside AIDEA to permit and plan for the Ambler road, which will be a private and controlled access road providing a pathway for maintaining local communities and rural lifestyles that will benefit future generations.

Community Investment

  • Emergency and law enforcement services will be able to better access rural villages, while also easing access to the internet and telemedicine care.  

  • The road is expected to generate more than $300 million in annual wages once mines are operational, directly supporting local communities.

Jobs/Careers

  • It is estimated that the Ambler Road will create more than 3,900 direct and indirect jobs, the majority of which would be in the Northwest Arctic Region. 

  • These jobs are needed as the Northwest Arctic Borough recorded an unemployment rate of 9% which is 5% higher than Alaska's average.

Lower Cost of Living

  • The road will lower the cost of living by delivering more affordable access to food, building supplies and fuel.

Subsistence Living

  • The road will be closed to the public, which will minimize traffic on the road and help conserve the caribou, moose, sheep, fish and other wildlife.

  • The jobs and wages  that the road will provide to local tribes will help them access fuel and equipment that support their subsistence lifestyle.

  • Tribal elders from the region make up the project’s Subsistence Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from each community along the road.

Wildlife

  • Alaska has a very strong track record of responsible resource development while protecting the surrounding landscape and wildlife.

  • The AAP will minimize any negative impacts to subsistence by using best practices for preserving wildlife and habitat. This includes stopping all mine operations and road use when the caribou are migrating. 

  • Culverts will allow fish passage without interruption. 

Responsible Development

  • Red Dog and Delong have been in operation for more than 30 years and have successfully balanced subsistence and resource development. In fact, conservation efforts led by the Red Dog mine have actually improved the health of local streams and restored fish populations.

Employment Estimates

Ambler Metal’s Arctic Mine: 1,620 est. jobs

Ambler Access Project:
440 est. jobs

Estimated Revenue

Estimates from federal draft supplemental environmental income statement.

Road revenue for native corporations:

$36.6M

State revenue from mining:

$407M

Labor income from mining:

$300M

Village improvement funds from mining:

$150M

American Energy Security

  • A domestic supply of minerals is needed for clean energy technologies.

  • The road will decrease American dependency on Russia and China by allowing for responsible domestic resource development. 

  • Copper, gallium and cobalt are key components of climate technologies, and the United States urgently needs a reliable supply of these minerals within our borders.

Ambler Access Project Fast Facts

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) into law. Commonly referred to as “The Great Compromise,” ANILCA sought to balance the state’s natural resource-based economy with environmental protection and preserve Alaskans’ unique ways of life. ANILCA established 10 new federal parks, preserves, and monuments throughout Alaska while guaranteeing certain rights of access for subsistence, hunting, fishing, recreation, and other economic and social purposes. Access to and from the Ambler Mining District for resource development is guaranteed in this law.

Support for the AAP

  • Alaska Delegation Frustrated by Interior’s Delay of the Ambler Access Project. Read More »

  • Murkowski, Sullivan Continue to Press for Fair Process, Timely Re-Approval of Ambler Access Project. Read More »

  • Governor Dunleavy Denounces President Biden’s Obstruction of Ambler Road. Read More »

  • Northwest Arctic Borough & North Slope Borough resolution of support. Read More »

Studies