Ambler Road

TAKE ACTION! Sign the letter asking Governor Parnell to abandon the plan to build the Ambler Road or join the Brooks Range Council.

As part of the Roads to Resources initiative, the state of Alaska plans to build a 220 mile road through the southern Brooks Range, connecting the Ambler Mineral District to the Dalton Highway. The road would cause permanent environmental, social, and economic impacts to this wild and remote place.

Some reasons to oppose the Ambler Road:

Kobuk River near Ambler (Source: John Gaedeke)

Cost: Construction is estimated to cost $430 million. Yearly maintenance would cost at least $8.5 million. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) currently does not have a concrete plan for how this would be fully funded. In the meantime over $26 million has bee appropriate from the State of Alaska budget to support pre-planning and permitting costs.

Infrastructure: The road would run through the southern Brooks Range. Building a 220-mile road through the southern Brooks Range would be a major undertaking. The current plan calls for numerous maintenance stations and construction camps along the route, as well as gravel quarries every 10 miles. Such substantial infrastructure would greatly alter the region.

Canoeing near Iniakuk Lake, Brooks Range (Source: John Gaedeke)

Pollution: The ore in the rock of theAmbler Mining District carries very high risk of acid mine drainage (AMD). Preventing AMD’s devastating effects on downstream aquatic life can require active water treatment forever.

Do we want to spend state money- lots of it- on industrialization of an important wilderness area, water pollution that could persist for generations, and to helping private corporations turn a profit?

Source: DOWL HKM (2011)