Ambler road project

[CJ19]

I am neutral on the Ambler Road project. I have read interesting perspectives from both sides of the issue. One thing I find very frustrating is that many of the same groups and people that pushed for prescriptive and aggressive renewable policy such as net zero are now upset that the companies seeking to meet those domestic and international emissions policies want to mine the necessary raw materials to do so.

 

[TopherDave]

Does anyone have a link to some reliable information about this company and how people are so certain all these minerals will be of no benefit to united states? I looked at the companies website and government press release. Where are people getting their information that they are posting here?

My ex was the lead exploratory geologist for the company. I use to have to attend they’re dog N pony Xmas party every year and listen to that exact argument “we need the resources.” I studied wildlife biology in college, but naturally, being the male of the relationship, I’m the dumb one.
I’m pro Caribou! Pro public land! Anti-ex. (Not too bitter though, normal amount).

 

[CJ19]

My ex was the lead exploratory geologist for the company. I use to have to attend they’re dog N pony Xmas party every year and listen to that exact argument “we need the resources.” I studied wildlife biology in college, but naturally, being the male of the relationship, I’m the dumb one.
I’m pro Caribou! Pro public land! Anti-ex. (Not too bitter though, normal amount).

In most ways the issues with this project are no different than any other extraction project. There are going to be multiple perspective that have pro and cons depending on which side of the issue you are on and what type of stake holder you are. One thing is certain. If they dont mine it here its going to be mined somewhere else. Between the push for renewable energy / storage and rapid AI/data center build outs the raw material necessary have too much value and national security implications at this point.

 

[TopherDave]

Between the push for renewable energy / storage and rapid AI/data center build outs the raw material necessary have too much value and national security implications at this point.

True. At some point and time it’s all going to be thrown out the window. Teddy set these lands aside for this exact reason. Just sad that it’s only 100 years and change. One thing I know is history repeats itself and humans have a very good track record of f* up an ecosystem!

 

[CJ19]

True. At some point and time it’s all going to be thrown out the window. Teddy set these lands aside for this exact reason. Just sad that it’s only 100 years and change. One thing I know is history repeats itself and humans have a very good track record of f* up an ecosystem!

I understand the sentiment and appreciate your point of view. I feel that way often times. I have to remind myself that I do not want to give up those luxuries of modern life. I am using my smart phone to discuss the issue and i am standing here in my hunting clothes made from modern synthetic material and merino wool. I do know that a lot of the petroleum industry geologists have their mindset on mining industry switches. So renewables may mean less petroleum related extraction but more mining in the future.

 

[KingGus]

A couple of points to consider when discussing foreign companies taking profits offshore: mines have a payback period that covers capital expenditure, typically 5-20 years. That means these companies won't see any return for some time. Once they have covered their capital costs, they still have operational expenses, the biggest being labor. A good return on opex would be 10%. Foreign companies will be pouring money into Alaska, with the vast majority ending up in Alaskans' pockets as wages.

 

[inyago]

Americans need to start getting fed up with billionaire money giving them special treatment. Mines, even American mines, don’t give two damns about the area, the residents of the state, or opinions of anyone who stands in their way. We have a long rich history of them getting as much money out of the ground as possible and sticking everyone with cleanup costs and remediation that looks like eye sores at best. Anyone that has lived next to a mine will tell you that.

Nothing we say will impact the decision on this road, why would it we don’t have any power, we don’t have deep pockets, we give that power away by electing politicians on both sides that sell out for their biggest campaign contributors. Campaign finance reform is the root of the problem, but writing our congressmen makes us feel like we’re making a difference, even though it’s painfully obvious that falls on deaf ears.

Everything you say is true, But this is about a pristine area being altered by mining and all the ancillary activities associated with the building and operation of a substantial mining operation. And once these things are built there is never any going back, even if every one agrees that it is a mistake, the damage is done.

 

[inyago]

A couple of points to consider when discussing foreign companies taking profits offshore: mines have a payback period that covers capital expenditure, typically 5-20 years. That means these companies won't see any return for some time. Once they have covered their capital costs, they still have operational expenses, the biggest being labor. A good return on opex would be 10%. Foreign companies will be pouring money into Alaska, with the vast majority ending up in Alaskans' pockets as wages.

Nonsense, cry me a river how the poor mining company makes 10% opex?? Run that thru 10 subsidiaries and suddenly you have 100%. These things are designed to be lose making on paper that's part of the game. I would not be surprised if they asked the Alaskan and Federal Government for subsidies around the Whole deal over time. Also the access road will not be some 4x4 track but a full fledged highway so they can have 2.5/ 3lane traffic all conditions plus airstrip for management to get in and out. Development cost also carry taxation benefits, like we all get for having to drive to work!!!

 

[KingGus]

Thank you for sharing your perspective! I’d love to clarify a few crucial points about mining economics that highlight their complexity and potential. Mining isn’t structured to operate at a loss intentionally. As a shareholder, would you invest in a company that didn’t make any money? Operational margins in the industry hover around 10% and tax incentives help, but don’t eliminate the inherent financial challenges and risks. The future Ambler Road will serve as a vital corridor, with its cost playing a massive role in the overall economics of any mining project. Discussions about subsidies or cost-sharing are ordinary and necessary, especially for projects that promise to boost job creation and state revenue. Alaska’s state government is funded via royalties from projects like this, and as Alaskans, we get to share in the benefits via the permanent fund dividend. Ultimately, these initiatives contribute significantly to Alaska’s economy, delivering valuable wages and contracting opportunities that deserve recognition for their positive impact!

Regarding the impact on caribou, I think it’s overstated. Anyone who hunts the haul road would know the caribou cross it constantly. They also get heavily harassed by hunters and must dodge haul trucks, which come every few minutes. Yet the central Arctic and the porcupine herd are at or near all-time highs. In my years of bow hunting the haul road, the bag limit for Alaskans has gone from bulls only to any caribou.

 

[littlebigtine]

Thank you for sharing your perspective! I’d love to clarify a few crucial points about mining economics that highlight their complexity and potential. Mining isn’t structured to operate at a loss intentionally. As a shareholder, would you invest in a company that didn’t make any money? Operational margins in the industry hover around 10% and tax incentives help, but don’t eliminate the inherent financial challenges and risks. The future Ambler Road will serve as a vital corridor, with its cost playing a massive role in the overall economics of any mining project. Discussions about subsidies or cost-sharing are ordinary and necessary, especially for projects that promise to boost job creation and state revenue. Alaska’s state government is funded via royalties from projects like this, and as Alaskans, we get to share in the benefits via the permanent fund dividend. Ultimately, these initiatives contribute significantly to Alaska’s economy, delivering valuable wages and contracting opportunities that deserve recognition for their positive impact!

Regarding the impact on caribou, I think it’s overstated. Anyone who hunts the haul road would know the caribou cross it constantly. They also get heavily harassed by hunters and must dodge haul trucks, which come every few minutes. Yet the central Arctic and the porcupine herd are at or near all-time highs. In my years of bow hunting the haul road, the bag limit for Alaskans has gone from bulls only to any caribou.

no one is interested in reading a chat gpt script.
And the effects of roads on natural systems is far more complicated than “my personal experience is that it doesn’t matter”
Top it off with the fact that the road leads to a copper/gold mine that will be exporting majority of its findings overseas for profit.
This project is choosing money over resources that are invaluable. Too many men have already made the mistake of taking these fragile systems for granted and then die before the repercussions of their actions come to fruition.

I appreciate your point of view but I urge you to seriously reconsider what you are effectively “defending”. Is it really in the public’s best interest or a few ceos and a couple thousand miners for this project to be pushed through?

 

[Tod osier]

View attachment 947083

Just recieved this from HABR

Time to reach out to congress and the senate

I’d care more if I could hunt griz, sheep or goats there without a guide.

 

[littlebigtine]

I’d care more if I could hunt griz, sheep or goats there without a guide.

The route in which the current administration steamrolled all management plans in place sets a precedent that is worth fighting against.

If you want your children to have a opportunity to harvest their own game meat. This is worth standing up for.

I think that it may feel like a place far enough away that its impact in your personal life is minimized but if you believe in the conservation that takes place on these lands, make sure your voice is heard.

I am not an Alaskan resident like you but if this were to happen in my home state I would call bullshit. So thats what I am doing.

If you want to see more mcdonalds, feed lots, gold exported to china, and habitat decay. By all means, sit back and watch.

 

[KingGus]

no one is interested in reading a chat gpt script.
And the effects of roads on natural systems is far more complicated than “my personal experience is that it doesn’t matter”
Top it off with the fact that the road leads to a copper/gold mine that will be exporting majority of its findings overseas for profit.
This project is choosing money over resources that are invaluable. Too many men have already made the mistake of taking these fragile systems for granted and then die before the repercussions of their actions come to fruition.

I appreciate your point of view but I urge you to seriously reconsider what you are effectively “defending”. Is it really in the public’s best interest or a few ceos and a couple thousand miners for this project to be pushed through?

I hear your concerns, and they’re valid. Roads and mining do have environmental impacts that need serious consideration. I’m not dismissing those effects, I’m simply weighing trade-offs. Modern mining and rehab methods are pretty good. I’ve worked in the industry for 15 years and have seen firsthand what’s possible.

Projects like Ambler are and will undergo extensive environmental review, and miners will follow the rehab and mitigation requirements. The real question is how to balance resource development with environmental stewardship without assuming one automatically negates the other. With the technology and methods at our disposal, there’s no reason that we can’t mine and protect the environment.

 

[Tod osier]

The route in which the current administration steamrolled all management plans in place sets a precedent that is worth fighting against.

If you want your children to have a opportunity to harvest their own game meat. This is worth standing up for.

I think that it may feel like a place far enough away that its impact in your personal life is minimized but if you believe in the conservation that takes place on these lands, make sure your voice is heard.

I am not an Alaskan resident like you but if this were to happen in my home state I would call bullshit. So thats what I am doing.

If you want to see more mcdonalds, feed lots, gold exported to china, and habitat decay. By all means, sit back and watch.

I've spent 2 full summers in alaska on vacation with my wife and child and we experienced a lot of what it has to offer in summer and early fall. I have to say spending a few weeks on the Dalton Highway was one of the highlights for me (that is the road put in through a virgin landscape to service the pipeline). Pretty damn neat deal to be able to experience that in person via my personal vehicle and camper.

I'm not afraid of a new road given what I've seen with the Dalton Highway and I don't feel one bit sorry for those who will be impacted. I've followed carefully the antics of the Federal Subsistence Board (I have testified before that board, not that they cared what I had to say) and I know that the ban of nonresident hunting of griz, sheep and goats came from the guiding industry. Those two groups have worked to degrade my ability to hunt in Alaska and they can pound salt.

 

[kaboku68]

I lived in Ambler for three years. It was a wonderful, beautiful truly special place. You need a snowmachine to travel into thousands of square miles of rarely seen and impacted wilderness. The animal populations are sensitive. But Manliaq in 1840s, who was the Inupiaq prophet predicted that it would happen. Most of his predictions came true. The fact that it will be a private road will not deter folks from getting on snowgos and zipping over there.

The economic development if done like it is in Man Choh in Tetlin will be good for the community and region and should lower living expenses. There is a lot of wilderness that has not been developed and is still out there.

I know that many with planes, large bank rolls, and suitable means are against it. I am for it. There are a lot of state land areas up there that could be developed and the development of the road would be a critical point that would increase the Alaskan development.

There are Sheep populations in the Western Brooks that have come back. The season has never been reopened. There is a real push to limit the use of resources in the region and I think that this is a tragedy. My guess is that there would be a movement of non-native people up to some of the old homesteads up the Ambler river and the trapping and predator hunting done by those folks would bolster natural wildlife populations.

We will see how it develops. I do not believe that Trilogy will cut through the lawsuits and the legal hurdles to get done before the Administration and politics changes that close it down. I just don't see it happening.