Regional map (left) showing the 211-mile proposed Ambler Industrial Access Road corridor, and area of detail map (right) showing the two alternative routes across NPS lands/NPS

It's not a question of whether a mine access road will be built across a section of Gates of the Arctic National Preserve in Alaska, but exactly how it is constructed. National Park Service staff say they are required by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to allow the road, but they have some control over the logistics of that construction.

Through the end of January park staff will be collecting public input for what should be considered in an environmental and economic impact analysis of the right-of-way application submitted by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority as part of the proposed Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project. Approximately 20 miles of the proposed road will cross Park Service lands in the Kobuk River unit of Gates of the Arctic National Preserve. Two alternative routes across NPS lands were identified in the project application materials. The analysis will examine each of these routes.

The road is to be built to reach a mine site near Ambler, a tiny village believed to sit near one of the world's richest copper deposits. Trilogy Metals, a main stakeholder of the road, believes the road and mine will bring high-paying jobs, training, and educational opportunities to a region suffering from high unemployment and lack of economic opportunity.

A mine road to be built through part of Gates of the Arctic National Preserve would pass through landscape similar to this/NPS

Opponents of the project are concerned that the Ambler Road would run through the Brooks Range - one of North America’s most rugged wilderness and one of Earth’s largest road-free areas. It would parallel six subsistence communities, cross 161 rivers and streams (two of them designated Wild and Scenic Rivers), and pass through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, they point out. The proposed Ambler Mining District serves as habitat for salmon, whitefish and sheefish as well as a crucial migration corridor for Alaska's largest caribou herd, the Western Arctic.

The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act requires that right-of-way access be permitted across Park Service lands for this project. In addition, ANILCA directs that an EEA be prepared to: 1) determine a pre­ferred route alignment across NPS lands, and 2) develop appropriate terms and conditions for the right-of-way permit. The NPS is seeking public comment on both of these elements.

Two alternative routes across Park Service lands were identified in the project application materials. The EEA will examine each of these routes. In doing so, the EEA will consider which route would generate fewer adverse impacts and assess potential environmental, social and economic impacts upon wildlife, fish, and their habitat, and rural and traditional lifestyles including subsistence activities. It will also develop recommended measures that should be instituted to avoid or minimize negative impacts and enhance positive impacts.

Only about 20 miles of the 211-mile proposed Ambler Industrial Access Road cross Park Service lands. The remainder of the route traverses Bureau of Land Management, state, and Native Corporation lands. The National Environmental Policy Act requires that an Environmental Impact Statement be prepared for the entire route. The BLM will lead the EIS in cooperation with other state and federal agencies. 

The Park Service opens to finish its analysis by next December.

You can learn more about the project and leave your comments at this site.