Mining is back: Trump undoes Biden’s roadblock to the Ambler Mining District

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President Donald Trump, in his executive order relating to Alaska resources, has reversed the Biden Administration’s decision to revoke federal permits for the road to the Ambler Mining District, a state-owned parcel that has right-of-way across federal land for an industrial-use road.

In August, the Biden Bureau of Land Management locked up 28 million acres of lands and waters and prevented the Ambler Road from being able to be built, even though access to that area was guaranteed by Congress.

Ambler Road would link the Ambler Mining District to Alaska’s highway system, but the 211-mile road needs to cross the Gates of the Arctic National Wildlife Park and Preserve so that mining could produce gold, silver, zinc, copper, and rare earth mineral for America’s national security. There is no other way to access the state land set aside for mining.

This reversal of the Biden decision was among the requests of Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy in his transition report to the Trump Administration.

“The Ambler Mining District has extensive deposits of critical minerals and could be a secure, reliable U.S. supply-chain resource, essential for our Nation’s tech-focused economy, green energy products, and military effectiveness,” Dunleavy said in his report to the Trump team.

Read the executive order relating to Alaska at this link.

The order says, “place a temporary moratorium on all activities and privileges granted to any party pursuant to the record of decision signed on June 27, 2024, entitled “Ambler Road Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision,” which is referred to in “Notice of Availability of the Ambler Road Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, Alaska,” 89 Fed. Reg. 32458 (April 26, 2024),  in order to review such record of decision in light of alleged legal deficiencies and for consideration of relevant public interests and, as appropriate, conduct a new, comprehensive analysis of such deficiencies, interests, and environmental impacts; and reinstate the record of decision signed on July 23, 2020, by the Bureau of Land Management and United States Army Corps of Engineers entitled “Ambler Road Environmental Impact Statement Joint Record of Decision,” which is referred to in “Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Road Environmental Impact Statement,” 85 Fed. Reg. 45440 (July 28, 2020).”



40 COMMENTS

  1. Atta-Boy Trump! Hopefully, Lisa gets on the T-Train (and soon). Alaska’s own embarrassment and disappointment… chief “Karen Kat Lady” needs to be tuned-up.

  2. The only way to properly access any area for mining in Alaska is by railroad. That Ambler road fiasco is a never ending, uneconomical, make work project that will be more costly than the income stream it might generate. It is pure idiocy to claim otherwise. A railroad to the western coast of Alaska would be more impactful than the pipeline was, with regard to increased economic activity within the stat of Alaska. Anyone that has used the haul road to the Yukon River bridge knows how that road deteriorates in warm weather and that 160 miles, added to the 211 to the Ambler district is a 800 mile round trip PER TRUCK. And trucks are the second most expensive way to transport ore, only behind air planes.

    • Except it’s not even needed now. The deposits are mostly copper and Trump is doing away with the electrification initiatives, so copper demand just collapsed. Critical minerals (e.g., antimony, gallium) being blocked for export by China show up elsewhere (e.g., Susitna Valley), so better for us to build the road to Skwetna.

  3. We’re back to government funded infrastructure, and privatized profits for rich outside corporations! Yea! Yea!

  4. Trump just needs to give BLM the boot OUT of Alaska. Time to get rid of these worthless alphabet agencies that are infested with anti American leftists!

  5. They need to build it, but they need to add a provision that opens it up to public access after a certain number of years like they did the Haul Road. Build it, let the companies use it solely for a few years until tolls pay off the cost of construction, and then open it up for Alaskans to use. The most recent plan had it as private use for mining companies only for the entirety of it’s lifespan.

  6. Anxiously awaiting loser Lisa comments pertaining to news that is great for Alaska~silence

    She has dug a hole too deep to recover, one would hope.

  7. This reminds me of an article the ADN ran in 2017 with a headline “Mining industry rebounding despite low commodity prices”. The reporter was baffled why there was suddenly more mining happening. He never once mentioned Obama being gone as the main reason.

  8. President should give that land. ( entire north slope) to the state.
    This might give a little more fiscal certainty to investors. Rather than ponying up millions of dollars to have your lease yanked out from underneath you.

    • Does this ring a bell?
      ‘https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-administration-blocks-controversial-alaska-pebble-mine-project

      • Sure. One of the dumber things he did in his first term.

        Question for you and the rest of the anti-Pebbles: Given the choices for rare earth metals, where would you rather get them? China? Greenland? Pebble?

        Note that the only correct answer to this is either “yes” or “all three.” Cheers –

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