Last month, President Donald Trump announced his decision to reverse the Biden Administration’s action on the Ambler Road Access Project—directing federal agencies to move forward with issuing the necessary permits within 30 days.
This decision comes despite years of opposition from Tribes, local communities, and organizations who have raised serious concerns about the long-term cultural and environmental impacts this road would have on our lands and ways of life.
Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) is deeply disappointed by this decision. The Ambler Road threatens to open a path for industrial mining through the heart of the Brooks Range and across lands that are vital to caribou migration, fish habitat, and the subsistence practices that sustain our people. Once again, the federal government has prioritized outside interests over the voices of the Alaska Native Tribes who live in and depend on these lands.
“This decision is a direct affront to the voices of Alaska Native people,” said Chief/Chairman Brian Ridley. “It places corporate and extractive agendas over our rights, our lands, and our future. Despite this, we stand firm: we will not be silenced. We will continue to fight, to resist, and to protect our lands and waters for the generations who come after us.”
TCC will continue to stand in solidarity with our member Tribes, regional partners, and allies to oppose the Ambler Road and to ensure that federal and state agencies respect Tribal sovereignty and the rights of Indigenous peoples to determine what happens on our lands.
We will share updates as we learn more about next steps in the permitting process and how Tribes can continue to make their voices heard.