Mining News: News Nuggets: Walker paves way for Ambler Road EIS

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker Oct. 21 clarified to Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority the intent behind Administrative Order 271 – a memo that halted new spending on six “mega-projects” in Alaska – as it relates to the Ambler Road Project. The conclusion reached by the administration paves the way for AIDEA to spend up to US$3.6 million of previously appropriated funds to begin an environmental impact statement process for a 200-mile road linking the copper-, zinc-, and gold-rich Ambler Mining District to the Dalton Highway. “The scoping portion (of the EIS) is deemed necessary for the state to preserve the value of the studies that have been completed to date, and to determine the most appropriate access route for the project,” Pat Pitney, director, Office of Management and Budget explained in an Oct. 15 letter to AIDEA. “As we wrestle with a US$3.5 billion deficit, it’s important that we examine all spending. With the Ambler Road project, the US$3.6 million had already been appropriated, so this clarification allows the project to progress to a natural stopping point instead of stalled mid-step,” Gov. Walker explained.

- Shane Lasley