The Ambler road, a critical link in the development of the Ambler mining district of Alaska, has been granted a 50-year right-of-way on federally-owned and -managed land.

Trilogy Metals, which owns Ambler Metals in a joint venture (JV) with South32, said on Monday that the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) had signed agreements for right-of-ways for the road project with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Park Service (NPS). 

On July 23, the BLM issued the joint record of decision (JROD) for the Ambler project. The JROD approves the development of the northern, or "A", route, which is to be a 340-km-long gravel private access road in the southern Brooks Range foothills to provide industrial access to the Ambler mining district. 

Along with the JROD, the United States Army Corp of Engineers issued a Section 404 permit, which is governed by the Clean Water Act, to AIDEA.

On January 6, BLM, NPS and AIDEA signed agreements giving AIDEA the ability to cross federally-owned and -managed lands along the route for the Ambler road project approved in the JROD.

The authorising documents with the two agencies were the final federal permits required for the road project.  

Trilogy said that Ambler Metals continued to be in discussions with AIDEA on securing a predevelopment funding agreement for the detailed engineering work for the Ambler road project.

During the 2020 field season, AIDEA was able to complete initial fieldwork on the proposed Ambler access project route. AIDEA would carry out more fieldwork during the 2021 season.

Meanwhile, Trilogy said that a coalition of national and Alaska environmental non-government organisations (ENGO) had filed a lawsuit against the federal agencies responsible for issuing the JROD. The ENGO's main position was that due process was not carried out during the permitting of the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project.

AIDEA and Ambler Metals had filed for and received intervenor status in the lawsuit and would be defending the issuance of the JROD and the permits. 

Ambler Metals focuses on the polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide style deposits of Ambler. South32 contributed $145-million to the JV and Trilogy all the assets, the two most advanced being the Arctic and Bornite projects.