Benefits

Access to Opportunities for Rural Alaskans

The Ambler Access Road will create economic opportunities for families and communities near the project and for all Alaskans. Once complete, the Ambler Access Project will provide surface transportation access to the Ambler Mining District and enable further exploration and development of the area’s resources, providing for economic development that will benefit all Alaskans. With extensive mineral resources, including copper, silver, gold, lead and zinc, the Ambler Mining District has been characterized as one of the largest undeveloped copper-zinc mineral belts in the world. The area has been explored for decades, but development of the mineral resources has been limited due to a lack of transportation infrastructure.

Developing the Ambler Mining District will create thousands of new jobs for families throughout north-central and northwestern Alaska. According to a report by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development, developing access to four major deposits in the district is expected to result in new jobs across multiple industries:

Mine Construction

• 2,777 direct jobs with $286 million in wages annually
• 2,034 additional indirect and induced jobs with $108 million in wages annually

Mining Operations

• 495 direct jobs with $72 million in wages annually
• 3,436 additional indirect and induced jobs with $228 million in wages annually

Road Construction and Operations

• An annual average of 360 direct jobs over the road construction period
• Up to 81 direct annual jobs for road operations and maintenance over the life of the road

Access to America’s Critical Minerals

From smart phones and solar panels to electric vehicles and airplanes, we are surrounded by the products of critical minerals. Despite the abundant uses of critical minerals, these naturally occurring elements are scarce and often found in geo-politically contentious areas. Political instability and distortionary trade practices pose an increasing threat to disrupt America’s critical minerals supply chain—domestic development is the solution. The Biden-Harris Administration has issued multiple executive orders focused on ensuring secure, reliable supplies of critical minerals. Developing Alaska’s Ambler Mining District aligns with the national plan to reduce America’s dependence on critical minerals imports, as outlined in the Building Resilient Supply Chains, Revitalizing American Manufacturing, and Fostering Broad-based Growth report under Executive Order 14017.

The Ambler Mining District is a large prospective copper-zinc mineral belt with deposits of cobalt, germanium, gallium, arsenic, palladium, lead, gold, silver, and platinum. These elements are essential for our nation’s tech-focused economy and military effectiveness. Development of the Ambler Mining District aligns with current federal policy to identify new sources of critical minerals, increasing activity at all levels of the supply chain (exploration, mining, concentration, and separation) and streamline the leasing and permitting processes to expedite the exploration and production of critical minerals.

Independence from Imports

According to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2021 report, to meet our economic and military needs, the U.S. imports:

• 100% Arsenic and Gallium
• 50 – 83% Zinc, Silver, Platinum, Cobalt, Gold, and Germanium
• 24 – 40% Palladium, Copper and Lead

Government Revenue Generation

Among the many benefits of this project, building Ambler Access Project will boost state revenues. According to an analysis by the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development, the State of Alaska can expect to receive:

• $393 million in mining license tax revenues
• $524 million in corporate income taxes
• $214 million in production royalties
• $13 million in claim rents