NANA Regional Corp. supports mining development in the region, but it objects to the way the road project is being managed by the state entity sponsoring it
The NANA Regional Corp. office in downtown Anchorage is seen on Wednesday. The Native corporation, citing dissatisfaction with management by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, is ending its involvement with the Ambler Access Project.
The Alatna River, seen on Aug. 26, 2014, winds its way through a long valley in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The proposed Ambler Access Project would put a road crossing over the Alatna River just downstream from Gates of the Arctic. “Our Elders fought to retain our ancestral lands in the Upper Kobuk, emphasizing both their subsistence value and mineral resource potential. It is our responsibility to steward these lands for future generations,” Gia Hanna, chair of the NANA board of directors, said in the statement. “All decisions about development on our lands need to be made by and with our people at the table.
NANA owns some of the lands in the Ambler district and has a partnership with Ambler Metals LLC., the joint venture that is exploring mineral deposits there. Ambler Metals would be the prime beneficiary of the road. The joint venture was formed by Trilogy Metals Inc. of Canada and South32 of Australia.
NANA’s statement said the BLM decision appears to be illegal, violating a provision of the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act that guarantees future mining-road access through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The road plan advanced by AIDEA includes 26 miles through Gates of the Arctic.
The Biden administration decision against the road reversed a 2020 decision by the Trump administration to grant a right-of-way allowing construction of the Ambler Access Project. In response to lawsuits filed by numerous Native and environmental organizations, the Biden administration suspended the previous administration’s right-of-way and launched the supplemental environmental impact statement.
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