info@amblermetals.com
www.amblermetals.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shalon Harrington
External
Affairs Director
Ambler Metals LLC
shalon.harrington@amblermetals.com
Alaska Tribal & Community Leadership Travel to D.C to Meet with the Biden Administration & Key Lawmakers to Urge Fair and Timely Review of Ambler Access Project
**Alaska’s federal delegation issues a joint statement applauding the advocacy effort, calling any permitting delays “unacceptable”**
April 24, 2023 – Anchorage, Alaska – Several Alaska Native leaders travelled to Washington, D.C. with representatives of Ambler Metals and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to support the fair review and timely completion of the Ambler Access Project (AAP) Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Tribes, local governments, and communities near the Ambler Mining District continue to explore the potential significant economic benefits associated with responsible development that respects their land, Alaska Native subsistence way of life, and culture. Through in-person meetings with members of Congress, including those serving on important congressional committees of jurisdiction and key federal agencies, Tribal and community leaders had an invaluable opportunity to communicate their diverse visions for their communities and the state as a whole.
A crucial aspect of the trip included encouraging the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management to complete the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement it is working on within the timeline and focus submitted to the Federal District Court to reissue a Record of Decision by the end of 2023. Alaska Native leaders also met with representatives of the National Economic Council to express their support for a timely process, especially considering the broad economic and national security significance of accessing natural resources and minerals.
“The Ambler Access Project is an opportunity to create high-paying jobs within the region so that our Tribal members and their families can remain in their communities,” said Wilmer Beetus, Chief and Mayor of Hughes, Alaska. “This project will reduce the high cost of living by providing an opportunity for access to cheaper fuel and other goods, which currently have to be flown in. This is crucial as rural Alaska has both a high unemployment rate and extremely high cost of living where a gallon of gas can cost $15.00, and housing is in short supply. Further, a subsistence lifestyle is a vital aspect of
our lives connecting Alaska Native people, families, and communities with the land, animals, and fish. The Ambler Access Project will responsibly co-exist with the subsistence needs of families and communities in the region.”
“We are asking lawmakers in Washington to listen to the voices of the people who have lived on these lands and stewarded Alaska since time immemorial,” said Naasri Fred Sun, President of the Shungnak Tribe, “Our Tribe has a vision for the future of our community to promote our self-determination and Iñupiaq way of life. This is why our meetings in Washington this week were so important.”
“The Ambler Access Project is critical for both Alaska’s economy and a domestic supply of the raw materials needed for everything from electric vehicles to defense technologies,” said U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Representative Mary Peltola in a joint statement. “Further permitting delays are unacceptable and Ambler’s approval which is guaranteed under federal law must be a priority for the Biden administration. We’re glad that representatives from Ambler Metals, AIDEA, NANA, and several Tribes visited Washington, DC, this week to discuss the Ambler Access Project with policymakers across the executive and legislative branches. Alaska’s congressional delegation is united in strong support of this important project and eager to see this private road move forward.”
“Nobody is more familiar with the challenges rural Alaskan communities face than the community leaders who traveled to D.C. this week,” said Ramzi Fawaz, President and CEO of Ambler Metals. “It was clear from our meetings with lawmakers that there is strong backing from the Alaska federal delegation for the Ambler Access Project. It was also clear how important it is for Tribes and Alaska Native corporations to be at the table when important discussions about the future of their homelands are occurring. In order for this project to proceed to get to important decision points, it’s critical that the Department of Interior finalize the supplemental EIS for the road by the end of the year. This project has tremendous significance for Alaska and the nation, as it will provide a key link in the supply chain for high-demand mineral resources across our economy, particularly for renewable energy and battery technologies. The issuance of a right of way across Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve for this project has been authorized in federal law for over 40 years there’s no reason for the permitting process to be delayed any further.”
About Ambler Metals:
Ambler Metals is a 50:50 independently operated LLC. The South32:Trilogy Metals Partnership was formed in 2017 through a 3-year exploration option agreement. Ambler Metals was formally established February 11, 2020, including a partnership with NANA Regional Corporation for the exploration and development of the UKMP and advancing projects in the Ambler Mining District. Ambler Metals is an Alaskan Company with offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
