Interior Alaska News

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, alongside Representative Mary Sattler Peltola, have expressed their disapproval of the U.S. Department of the Interior's decision to select the "no action" alternative for the Ambler Access Project in Alaska. This decision reverses a previous approval from 2020.

Senator Murkowski criticized the administration, stating, "Nine years in federal permitting. Access to critical and strategic minerals that are essential for everything from clean energy to national security... Somehow, none of that mattered to the Biden administration on the Ambler project."

Senator Sullivan also voiced his concerns: "There he goes again: President Biden’s announcement on the Ambler Road is lawless, hurts Alaska’s future and jobs for our state... Sanctioning Alaska more than terrorist states, like Iran and Venezuela, and adversaries, like China, is now commonplace policy for the Biden administration."

Representative Peltola highlighted broken promises made to Alaska Natives: “All too often, promises made to Alaska Natives by Congress haven’t been kept; this decision is in contradiction to ANILCA.”

The Ambler Access Project aims to facilitate access to valuable mineral resources such as copper and cobalt in Alaska's Ambler Mining District. The project had previously undergone extensive environmental reviews and public consultations.

In February 2022, a court remand was sought by Interior for further environmental assessment through a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). Recently, an amendment requiring Interior to choose between Alternative A or B from its SEIS was passed with bipartisan support as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025.

The legislation related to this amendment will be considered later this year by the Senate.