In a move that will thrill Democrats and the environmental lobby, the Department of Interior’s final environmental impact statement on the Ambler Access road has gone against the mining project, a project that was actually guaranteed during the passage and signing of the Alaska National Interest Land Claims Act (ANILCA).

The Ambler Access Project is planned as a 211-mile, industrial-access road to reach the state’s Ambler Mining District.

ANILCA, while it established 10 new federal parks, preserves, and monuments throughout Alaska, had in it what President Jimmy Carter called the “Great Compromise,” which guaranteed access to and from the Ambler Mining District for resource development. That guarantee is found in Section 201(4) of ANILCA.

mblerThe Biden Administration, however, locked up 28 million acres of the land from oil and gas, mining, or activities that it says would threaten Alaska Natives, wildlife or any ecosystem that the Administration finds untouchable.

The decision, which is regulation-making by the Bureau of Land Management, came on the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court reversed what’s known as the “Chevron deference.” That decision said the regulatory agencies and their bureaucrats are not allowed to interpret the areas of law that are unclear. How the Chevron reversal will impact the Biden decision to lock up Ambler Mine and more than one and a half times the area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge remains to be seen.

“Today’s double-whammy attack on Alaska’s resource development opportunities makes 65 times the Biden administration has targeted our state’s energy and economic future,” said Rick Whitbeck, Alaska state director for Power the Future. “This administration has completely kowtowed to radical environmentalists in an effort to gain favor at the ballot box.  Dismissing the fact that Congress mandated access to the Ambler Mining District is a brazen overreach of executive authority.  Placing 28 million acres – an area larger than the entire state of Tennessee – off-limits to responsible development is foolhardy, and only empowers China, Russia and other enemies of our Republic.”

The entire Alaska D.C. delegation expressed disapproval of the decision by the Interior Department.

“Nine years in federal permitting. Access to critical and strategic minerals that are essential for everything from clean energy to national security. A rare opportunity for development in rural Alaska under the highest standards, so we don’t have to import from unstable nations that have no protections for people or the environment,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski. “Somehow, none of that mattered to the Biden administration on the Ambler project. They have ignored federal law, our national vulnerabilities, and Alaska’s strong record of responsible development, all in the name of election year politics.” 

Sen. Dan Sullivan said, “There he goes again: President Biden’s announcement on the Ambler Road is lawless, hurts Alaska’s future and jobs for our state, undermines America’s national security, and only makes our country more dependent on adversaries like Communist China for critical minerals. These minerals are critically important for our national defense, economy, and renewable energy sector. ANILCA mandates the right-of-way for this road. Career professional staff from the Obama and Trump administrations studied and then approved it after several years. Consultations with Alaskan stakeholder groups were extensive and far-reaching. But no matter, Lower 48 eco-colonialists told Joe Biden to kill the road, and he obeyed. Sanctioning Alaska more than terrorist states, like Iran and Venezuela, and adversaries, like China, is now commonplace policy for the Biden administration. But I’m fighting back. I was able to get strong bipartisan support for my amendment in this year’s NDAA [Defense Authorization Act] that mandates this road and ensures the destiny of this project is controlled by Alaskans.”

Even Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola issues a few words, although she was wishy-washy: “All too often, promises made to Alaska Natives by Congress haven’t been kept; this decision is in contradiction to ANILCA,” Peltola said. “There’s a path forward where local buy-in for this project is real and sustainable. As we continue to work through NDAA, we will seek to affirm permanent private road access that will make these resources available in a way that works for stakeholders in the area.”

The minerals and metals within the Ambler District are crucial to economic and national security, said Murkowski and Sullivan.

• Imports of copper have risen sharply in recent years. Numerous forecasts indicate there will be a substantial supply gap for copper in the years ahead. The Biden administration has stalled or rejected numerous copper projects across the nation, adding to future supply woes, they pointed out.

• The dominant supplier of cobalt is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with which the Biden Administration has signed an agreement to allow the continued use of children as labor, and where horrific worker and environmental conditions exist. The Chinese government controls or owns most of the mines in the DRC and has in the past weaponized the mines by cutting off the exports of rare earth minerals to the United States.

But Biden issued a statement doubling down on his decision to harm Alaska: “Today, my Administration is stopping a 211-mile road from carving up a pristine area that Alaska Native communities rely on, in addition to steps we are taking to maintain protections on 28 million acres in Alaska from mining and drilling,” Biden said in a statement on the social media platform X. “These natural wonders demand our protection.”