President Donald Trump signed an executive order Oct. 6 authorizing construction of an access road to Alaska’s Ambler Mining District, reversing environmental restrictions imposed under the Biden administration.
“This is something that should have been long operating and making billions of dollars for our country and supplying a lot of energy and minerals and everything else that we are talking about,” Trump said at the Oval Office signing event.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum called the order a “big milestone” that he said will unlock critical minerals essential to defense, security, and to winning “the AI arms race against China.”
The decision revives the proposed 211-mile Ambler Road Project, an industrial corridor linking Dalton Highway to Alaska’s remote Ambler Mining District. The road would open access to vast deposits of copper, cobalt, gallium, germanium, and other minerals, the White House said in a fact sheet.
According to the White House, the project will create roughly 2,730 jobs and generate more than $1.1 billion in revenue for Alaska through mining taxes, royalties, and rents.
As part of the initiative, the White House said the federal government will partner with Trilogy Metals, investing $35.6 million for a 10% ownership stake in the company and warrants to purchase an additional 7.5%.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, praised the decision in a statement on X, saying that it “will unleash development opportunities, create new jobs for Alaskans and secure access to strategic minerals.”
Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, shared a map of the proposed road, which he called a “promised road to important resources.”
“This has been a priority of our office since day one, and I am thrilled to see this important milestone,” Begich added. “The President’s decision marks a historic day for Alaska’s self-determination, and represents another promise delivered.”
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