The Ambler road project has been pursued by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state entity. Pro-project actors argue the Amber Mining District, known for decades to be rich in copper and other minerals, cannot be commercially developed unless there is an access road [1,3]. 

According to Julia Hager "More than four millions tons of copper, 1,6 tons of zinc, 285,000  tons of lead and 22,000 kg of gold are expected to rest in the Amber Mining district" [6] 

The company that would operate the mines and would benefit from the construction of the industrial road is Vancouver-based Trilogy Metals Inc. However, residents of the villages, in which the project is proposed, are highly dependent on 'caribou' [rendeer or Rangifer tarandus]  'whitefish', 'moose' [elk or Alsaces] and other animals and foods [2,3].  Households with the lowest incomes and children are the most dependent on such wild foods, and they would be the most affected by the project [2].

The Ambler Road has been a controversy for many years, with environmentalists concerned over potential impacts to caribou migration from the road’s construction. There are also concerns about the road going through the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve [3].

The company has also partnered with a much larger company,  such as Australia’s South32, to create Ambler Metals LLC, which is now exploring deposits and developing the Ambler Mining District [2,3]. The road, as well as the proposed operating mines that the road would access, have however face opposition from tribal governments, environmentalists, and hunters [1-3].

Thus,  the Brooks Range Council (BRC), a coalition opposing the road has been formed. A member of the coalition argues: "Ambler Road is to pass the Brooks Range and partly through the Gates of the Arctic National Park. Eleven bridges would have to be built and none of the settlements would be connected to the road. Trucks would bring the mining products to Dalton Highway 24 hours a day".  

At the same time, the NANA corporation, a group composed by indigenous mine workers, have partnered with Ambler Metals because they are ‘heavily dependent on the Red Dog Mine’, which means that Nana is in favour  the mines, and thus, the construction of the road [7]. In addition, NANA is one of the principal shareholders in the mining project [7].

On the other hand some communities  filed lawsuits against the project [3]. One of the lawsuits was filed in August of 2020 by a coalition of environmental groups, and the second lawsuit was filed by the Tanana Chiefs Conference, a consortium of Athabascan tribal governments, as well as individual tribal governments in several villages of the region where the industrial road would be built [3]. 

The Northern Alaska Environment Center and another eight environmental groups write in their lawsuit that federal agencies failed to comply with several laws advancing the project, including the Clean Water Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and the National Environment Policy Act. "Decisions were taken on the basis of an inadequate environmental assessment", they argue. The defendants include the Office of Land Management, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard [5, 6].

A proposed road connecting a mining district to the rest of Alaska’s highway system "would impact foothills south of the Brooks Range — and the Western Arctic Caribou Herd’s habitat" [1], they continued.

Currently, the Biden administration is taking a look at this Trump-era approvals for this controversial industrial access road planned across the Brooks Range. The current government seeks a 60-day stay of action in the dual lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s approval of the project [3].

This time is needed because of information learned in meetings held by Interior officials with tribes and residents affected by the Ambler project, as well as a follow-up government-to-government consultations, which is expected sometime in 2021, the government stated [3].

Further,  there are 10 project-zone communities and there are 22 communities outside the zone. The project-zone villages would not be directly on the road, but would be near it. The largest is Anaktuvuk Pass, with a population over 300.

The combined population of the 10 communities is 87 percent Alaska Native; 80 percent of households are headed by women. Among the nonproject-zone villages, 29% of residents are Native and 36 percent of households are headed by women.

The biggest nonproject-zone community has about 1,300 people.  However, delivery of fuel could cut annual heating and electrical costs by $2,755 to $3,737 per household, and up to 13 new jobs would come with the road [2].

The road is one of the many Alaska mega-projects proposed over the years to increase commercial development of remote natural resources that have encounter opposition from some but not all local residents [2,5].

The project will be also funded by Ambler Metals LLC, which is working to develop the mineral potential at the road's terminus, and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, which would fund the building and maintenance of the road [4].

In February 2021, Ambler Metals and AIDEA entered into a development agreement that outlines how the companies will fund and manage the Ambler Access Project and permitting activities until a definitive construction decision, which is expected before the end of 2024 [4].

Ambler Metals, a 50-50 joint venture partnership between Trilogy Metals Inc. and South32 Ltd., is investing another $27 million on exploration needed, according to them, to initiate the permitting process and open up the mine [4].