A Reversal of Science and Public Process

Earlier this week, President Trump signed an order to reverse the Bureau of Land Management’s 2024 decision denying right of way for the Ambler Road project. This move, once again greenlights development for a 211-mile long road through the Brooks Range that would serve private mining interests in Alaska’s Arctic. The Ambler Road will threaten one of the wildest winter landscapes on earth. 

“The fact that the president has taken this unprecedented action to overturn a scientifically-based decision supported by tens of thousands of public comments, including many from Alaska Native voices, undermines the whole public process,” says Anneka Williams, Winter Wildlands Alliance policy director. “The Ambler Road will threaten sensitive Arctic landscapes and Native livelihoods, destroying these public lands for the benefit of foreign mining interests. This action is completely unacceptable.”

-Anneka Williams, WWA Policy Director

What’s at Stake in the Brooks Range

If constructed, the Ambler Road will disrupt and permanently harm the health of wildlife, waters, and people across a broad region in the southern Brooks Range. 

The 211-mile industrial road would cut across nearly 3,000 streams and 11 major rivers, fragmenting ecosystems and threatening fish populations that local communities depend on for food.

Even more devastating, the Ambler Road would intersect the migration routes of three caribou herds, including the Western Arctic Caribou Herd — the largest remaining caribou herd in North America and the species with the longest land migration on Earth. This road could push the herd away from traditional hunting grounds, disrupting a vital food source and centuries-old cultural practices for Alaska Native communities.

Once constructed, the Ambler Road would also open the door to a sprawling mining district, compounding these harms and creating lasting impacts on wildlife, waters, and people across the southern Brooks Range.

This isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s an issue of environmental justice.

Protections Overturned

In 2020, Winter Wildlands Alliance joined a coalition of nine groups on a lawsuit to challenge the first Trump Administration’s decision to approve the Ambler Road project, which would provide access to the Ambler mining district in the Brooks Range.

Our litigation forced the Bureau of Land Management to conduct a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This process ultimately led to a 2024 decision by the BLM to block construction of Ambler Road by denying right of way, a decision which reflected tens of thousands of public comments and close scrutiny of the potential environmental impacts of this project. 

This decision has now been overturned. President Trump drew on an obscure provision of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) to overturn the BLM’s 2024 decision blocking Ambler Road construction.  The administration is ordering that all involved federal agencies reissue their 2020-era permits approving the road.

Who Really Benefits from Ambler Road

Although the administration claims the project supports “American energy dominance” by providing access to copper and other minerals in the Ambler Mining district, the reality tells a different story. This decision doesn’t actually put America first as the key developers of this area will be Canada’s Trilogy Metals and Australia’s South32 Limited. A Technical Report and Feasibility Study from Trilogy Metals stated that most concentrates from the Ambler mining district would be delivered to a smelter in the Asia Pacific Region.

In other words, the Ambler Road will not support economic growth, rather it will sacrifice our public lands for the profit of foreign mining corporations. 

What’s Next + How You Can Help

Winter Wildlands Alliance is closely tracking the issue and stands ready to continue the legal fight to protect Alaska’s Arctic landscapes.

Your support for Winter Wildlands Alliance ensures our small team can continue to challenge the Ambler Road and safeguard wild winter lands for future generations.