Governor Walker mistakenly believes there is federal money at stake in the Ambler Road proposal. There is a lot of money, millions and millions, but it is all State of Alaska money. All. Of. It. “Page 4 of the state’s request for proposals for an EIS consultant clearly states that “The proposed contract will not be a Federally Assisted Program.””  …

“Why has Gov. Walker authorized the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to spend an additional $3.6 million on the proposed Ambler Road while cutting $3.2 million from the Department of Transportation’s northern region maintenance budget of our existing roads, including the Steese Highway to Circle? The road to Ambler is unwanted by the vast majority of the residents of …

“Why has Gov. Walker authorized the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to spend an additional $3.6 million on the proposed Ambler Road while cutting $3.2 million from the Department of Transportation’s northern region maintenance budget of our existing roads, including the Steese Highway to Circle? The road to Ambler is unwanted by the vast majority of the residents of …

The Western Arctic Caribou herd has been on the decline for many years; peaking in 2003 with over 400,000 animals and possibly dropping as low as 200,000 currently.  This decline may impact future hunting regulations for both residents and nonresidents.  Currently the Western Arctic Caribou herd has a range that is still largely intact, and is not being impacted in …

Evansville has opposed construction  of the proposed Ambler mining road on Evansville Inc. land since 2014. “Evansville, Inc., a private entity, holds title to approximately 70,000 acres of land in the Koyukuk River area. The land is private. It is bordered to the south by the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge and bordered to the north by the Gates of the …

John Gaedeke, president of Brooks Range Council, addresses the question of funding a project that has no future. “Why the governor’s sudden change of heart? Right now the difference of $6 million in state spending could keep the doors on 58 schools open. AIDEA could be funding infrastructure for Alaskans, rather than foreign companies. Many villages in the ill-conceived Ambler …

“I don’t know why there’s so much corporate welfare being put forward in this time of economic tightness,” said Gaedeke. “There’s no black Friday out in the villages. They do some fishing and some hunting and they need to have that minimum to maintain their life out there.” read the full article here.

“The mine was originally owned by Canadian mining company NovaGold and operated by its subsidiary, Alaska Gold. It opened briefly in 2008 before shutting its doors just months later. In the two years of preproduction and the two months of actual production, the mine went more than $20 million over budget, lost two of its workers in a construction-related accident, and violated the Clean Water …

AKDOT took a $34 million dollar budget cut this year while the Ambler Road Proposal closes in on spending $30 million dollars in studies, consultants and permit applications… “Cuts to the state operating budget have forced the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to eliminate 35 surface transportation maintenance positions and abolish overtime for winter road crews. DOT took …

Lou Brown of Fairbanks questions whether a road that is being opposed by so many, and is so costly to build, is even being considered at this time. “In this climate of fiscal disaster and an almost universal antipathy for the project, this expenditure makes no sense. There have already been more than 20 public meetings all over Northwest Alaska, …