The proposed 211-mile Ambler Road would pass through the Brooks Range, connecting the Dalton highway to the Ambler Mining District. The road would cross over a patchwork of state, federal, municipal, and private land. The State of Alaska is calling for the public to share their views on whether the road should be built on state land.
Permits for building the road over federal land are currently on hold while a court reviews the Trump administration’s decision to permit the road.
Adam Leland is a Natural Resource Specialist for the Division of Mining, Land and Water. Leland says state officials will consider public comment when deciding whether to issue the easement that would allow the road to be built on state land.
"This helps us to identify issues and informs our decision process we're a multiple use agency, we balance a variety of uses on state land and we evaluate what is in the best interest of the public in the state of Alaska," he said.
The public can also comment on the proposed site specific plan. The plan would determine how the state manages the land and water adjacent to the road.
Proponents of the project, including Governor Dunleavy, say the road would spur economic growth. Opponents like Deloole'aanh Erickson of the nonprofit Native Movement, say the road could harm the wildlife and water that people in the area rely on for food. Erickson says she’s particularly worried that the road could cut off the migration route for the Western Arctic caribou herd.
"That's where their subsistence food comes from and food security out in the villages, is a huge issue and so having access to our game out there is important," she said.
Erickson says she hopes people who would be directly impacted by the road’s construction will share their opinions with the state government.
"It's important for our community to voice their concern and uplift the voices of the people in the region, so that their voices are heard too," she said.
The public can comment at https://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/ambler-road/ or by sending comments to 3700 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709 on or before 5 p.m. on March 2.