Roadless rule lifted for Tongass?
Trilogy Metals reported exploration results at its Sunshine prospect in the Ambler Minerals District with five of six bore-holes drilled showing copper concentrations of over 2 percent. Company officials said the ore grades and width of mineralized areas are similar to Trilogy’s nearby Arctic project, a high-grade copper accumulation. The company is now in an advanced stage of development planning at Arctic. Trilogy is also exploring Bornite, a large but lower-grade copper deposit west of Arctic The Ambler Mining District is a 75-mile-long mineralized belt in the western Brooks Range where several discoveries have been made.
Decisions loom for Ambler project
Two key decisions are looming for companies exploring in the Ambler region. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is to approve a Final Environmental Impact Statement for a 200-mile plus industrial access road into the Ambler region. BLM will pick one of three route options for the road, which could be built by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority if a go-ahead on mine development is decided. The road would cost $350 million to $500 million depending on the route chosen. AIDEA has invested $19 million so far in road permitting.

Another key decision is whether South 32, a major Australian mining company, will exercise an option to become a joint-venture partner with Trilogy Metals in that company’s Ambler copper projects. The Australian company has been working with Trilogy on its exploration. South 32’s decision will come Jan. 31. If the go-ahead is given, $150 million be made available to Trilogy.
Pressure on AIDEA on port site?
We hear AIDEA is being pressured, as the Ambler infrastructure developer, to push mining companies to use the Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s Port MacKenzie to ship ores rather than Anchorage’s Port of Alaska or Seward’s port. Pressure may be coming from the governor’s office. Port MacKenzie would involve a shorter distance for rail shipping but also requires completion of a rail link to the port along with extensive modifications.
Pebble EIS decision in December
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will make a decision in December on sticking with an early 2020 target for a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Pebble copper/gold/molybdenum mine or to delay the schedule or, possibly require a Supplemental EIS to deal with unresolved issues. Technical teams met with agencies in November and more meetings are set for late December. Meetings between the corps and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be held in early January on EPA’s questions over modeling of water movements. Pebble Partnership, the developer, has not yet applied for state permits.