Alaska mining road dealt another blow as support shrinks

By Hannah Northey | 05/09/2024 01:28 PM EDT

An Alaska Native corporation that controls land in the northwest part of the state has withdrawn its support for the road.

A small mountain lake near the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.

A small tarn is seen in a hidden valley at the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska. A proposal for a mining road would route it through the park. Cadence Cook/National Park Service via AP

The embattled Ambler mining road in Alaska hit another speed bump this week.

An Alaska Native corporation that has for years backed the 211-mile mining road announced that it’s withdrawing support, another blow for a project the Biden administration appears poised to reject.

In response, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), the state-owned development bank trying to build the project, said it plans to reroute the road to avoid millions of acres belonging to northwest Alaska’s regional Native corporation.

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The rift highlights growing tensions around a project that’s already on rocky footing.

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