Native Movement Blog
Proposed Ambler Road 2022 Recap
As 2022 wraps up we at Native Movement want to say baasee’/quyanaqvaa/thank you to everyone who has engaged with the work around stopping the proposed Ambler Road & mine and who has helped to raise community awareness on this important issue.
To recap what has been happening with the project over the last few years:
2020: The US Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management approved the road.
2020: Permits for the road were issued and were quickly followed by two lawsuits, one led by Tanana Chiefs Conference along with several local tribes, and another by conservation groups.
Feb. 2022: The Biden Administration acknowledged the flaws in the permitting process that was conducted under the Trump Administration and the court ordered the agencies to revisit their environmental impacts statement (EIS) and to conduct adequate consultation with the communities closest to the proposed road.
September-November 2022: A scoping period was held by the Bureau of Land Management for a supplemental environmental impacts statement (SEIS).
2023: A draft SEIS will be released and the public commenting period will open, after all comments have been addressed a final record of decision will be made.
It is important to note that the road has not been approved, permits for the associated Ambler mining district have also not been approved. 2023 will be a critical year for public engagement in the process and to let the administration, our local leaders and corporations know that we do not want this massively destructive and economically unviable road to be built on public lands with state money. Native Movement will be holding more community meetings in 2023 to continue to raise awareness on this project as well as to build up a collective community voice to let decision makers know why this road will not be a good investment for current and future generations.
If you have any questions or would like to become involved in the work to stop the proposed Ambler road and mine please reach out to our lead organizer, Tukni Holstrom at tukni@nativemovement.org
