ALASKA INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT & EXPORT AUTHORITYAMBLER MINING DISTRICTACCESS PROJECT                                    AIDEA has submitted and the federal agencies have accepted                                    an application for transportation and utility systems and                                    facilities on federal lands (SF-299). The SF-299 begins the                                    process for access to the Ambler Mining District set out in                                    the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands                                    Conservation Act (ANILCA).    PROJECT UPDATES:                “ Congress finds that there is a need for access                                         for surface transportation purposes across1.	 Bureau of Land Management            the Western (Kobuk River) unit of the Gates of    (BLM) filed a Notice of Intent    (NOI) in the Federal Register   the Arctic National Preserve (from the Ambler    to begin an Environmental    Impact Statement (EIS).         Mining District to the Alaska Pipeline Haul                                                      “2.	 Scoping comments on the EIS     Road) and the Secretary shall permit such    are due by January 31, 2018.                                    access in accordance with the provisions of3.	 BLM Scoping Meetings:    BLM has been holding scoping    this subsection.     ANILCA, Section 201(4)(b)    meetings in interested    communities, including:         The Ambler Mining District is an area with rich mineral                                    resources (see map inside) and has been explored for    Allakaket                       decades. Access to the district was recognized as needed in    Anaktuvuk Pass                  ANILCA, which directed the U.S. Departments of Interior and    Alatna                          Transportation to select a corridor through Gates of the Arctic    Fairbanks                       National Preserve for a road from the Dalton Highway to    Wiseman                         the district.    Anchorage    Kobuk                           AIDEA, as the state’s development finance authority, has    Ambler                          experience working with the State of Alaska and private    Kotzebue                        industry to develop needed infrastructure to support    Shungnak                        industrial and economic development. AIDEA worked with    Evansville/Bettles              the State of Alaska, federal agencies, industry and    Hughes                          landowners to construct the DeLong Mountain Transportation    Huslia                          System (DMTS), a port and road system supporting Red Dog                                    Mine in northwest Alaska. The mine has created jobs and4.	 National Park Service (NPS)     provided revenues to the Northwest Arctic Borough (NWAB)    is preparing ANILCA             and NANA shareholders. DMTS was primarily funded by    201(4)(d) the Environmental     issuing bonds to finance the project. The Ambler Project will    and Economic Analysis (EEA).    have a similar financing structure, and could provide similar                                    benefits to communities in the area by creating jobs and                                    providing revenues.
AMBLER MINING DISTRICT IPROJECT BENEFITS*       ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND                        MINES (4 MINES)       OPERATIONS JOBS                              CONSTRUCTIONAn annual average of 486 jobs over the road  5,933 direct jobs over two years for mineconstruction period.                         construction with $457.4 million in wages.Up to 68 full-time jobs annually for road    9,278 direct, indirect, and induced jobs withoperations and maintenance.                  $642.6 million in wages.*Based on Ambler Mining Region Economic Impact Analysis done by Cardno January 16, 2015
Alaska Industrial Development & Export AuthorityINDUSTRIAL ACCESS PROJECT        MINING (4 MINES)                               GOVERNMENT REVENUES        OPERATIONS                                     (4 MINES) TOTAL1,534 direct jobs with $164.2 million in       $261 million in mining license tax revenues towages annually.                                the State.3,186 direct, indirect, and induced jobs with  $357 million in corporate income taxes to$324.7 million in wages annually.              the State.                                               $78 million in production royalties to the State.                                               $6.5 million (annually) Payment in Lieu of Taxes                                               to the NWAB per mine.                                               www.ambleraccess.org
HOW THE ROAD MAY OPERATECommunities near the road may     Traffic on the gravel,          Drivers must stop and wait ifchoose to construct spur roads    one-lane road may require all   caribou are within 300 feet ofand/or use predetermined          vehicles to travel in the same  the road.staging areas adjacent to the     direction during specifiedroad to haul or pick up freight.  time periods. This could be                                  managed using follow-me                                  cars, a radio GPS system, or                                  other traffic control means.To Mine Area                                  FOLLOW-MEFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSWHAT IS THE AMBLER ROAD PROJECT?                     WHY IS AIDEA MANAGING THIS PROJECT?The Ambler Road Project proposes to construct        AIDEA’s mission is to grow and diversifya limited-access industrial road from the Dalton     the economy to create jobs and economicHighway to the Ambler Mining District. The Ambler    opportunities, and reduce unemployment. AIDEAMining District has been explored for many           has a successful history of working with the Statedecades and is rich in mineral resources (see        and industry to provide needed infrastructure formap on page two). The road to the Ambler Mining      economic development. The DMTS that supportsDistrict was identified and provided for in ANILCA.  Red Dog Mine in northwest Alaska is an example                                                     of AIDEA’s experience.The construction cost of the access road dependson the phase of the road. A single-lane pioneerroad that is usable for several months per yearis estimated to cost $280 million to construct,whereas a two-lane, year-round road is estimatedto cost $380 million. Road maintenance andoperations are estimated at $8-10 million per year.
Alaska Industrial Development & Export AuthorityAll drivers will be required to   All drivers will be required to  A guard will be stationed 24/7take an Ambler Road-specific      have two-way radios to report    at the gate to the Ambler Roadclass with instruction on unique  any unauthorized users or        off the Dalton Highway to stoprequirements for operating        activities they see.             any unauthorized vehiclesvehicles safely on this road.                                      from entering.                                                                                   STOP To Dalton HwyWOULD LOCAL COMMUNITIES BE ABLE                                    WHO WOULD ENFORCE HUNTING ANDTO USE THE ROAD FOR SUBSISTENCE                                    FISHING REGULATIONS ALONG THE ROAD?HUNTING AND FISHING?                                               The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has                                                                   authority to enforce hunting and fishing regulationsAIDEA will work with local communities in the                      along the majority of the route. In addition,vicinity of the road to make sure the road does                    AIDEA will prohibit commercial road users fromnot impact subsistence hunting and fishing. Road                   hunting and fishing along the road and implementcrossings would be designed in cooperation with                    procedures for reporting any traffic on the roadthese communities to allow them to safely cross                    that is not permitted. There will be securitythe road where needed.                                             operations that will setup gates and checkpoints,                                                                   and monitor compliance with “rules of the road.”                                                                   www.ambleraccess.org
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSAMBLER MINING DIS TRIC TWHAT BENEFITS COULD THERE BE FOR                                                 I                                                    HAS AIDEA REACHED OUT TO THE PUBLIC?LOCAL RESIDENTS? COULD THEY GET                     AIDEA, and before it the Alaska Department of                                                    Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), hasJOBS? COULD IT REDUCE COSTS?                        held over 30 community meetings in the Upper                                                    Kobuk, the Upper Koyukuk region, and otherThere are a number of potential benefits for local  areas. AIDEA has also participated in regionalresidents. Hundreds of jobs would be created from   subsistence advisory meetings and other eventsroad construction, maintenance, and operations,     to share information and gather feedback fromincluding security operations at man camps          the public, and particularly regional communities.and checkpoints, and monitoring compliance on       Public input shifted the project from a publicthe road use restrictions. Other residents may      road (DOT&PF) to an industrial road (AIDEA),get jobs on mine exploration, development, or       and resulted in changes to the alignment. AIDEAoperations projects. Some residents may use         expects to continue to work with interested partiesthis as an opportunity to build their own freight   to develop measures to minimize project impactsor transportation businesses. Although AIDEA        and increase project benefits.would not construct spur roads, local communitiescould decide to construct roads to staging areas    WHAT TYPE OF IMPACTS WOULD THE ROADadjacent to the access road. Local communitiesor entrepreneurs could hire commercial freight      HAVE ON THE ENVIRONMENT?companies to haul freight to the staging areas,where it could be picked up and transported to      Road construction generally includes removal ofrural communities. This could reduce the cost of    vegetation, surface grading, excavation of highliving in some communities by reducing the cost     areas and fill in low areas, and compaction ofof fuel, food, and other goods. Finally, Native     gravel. The BLM’s EIS will evaluate the potentiallandowners would have the potential to gain land    environmental impacts of the road.lease payments or gravel extraction revenuesassociated with the project.WHY IS MINING IMPORTANT TO ALASKA?                  4,350Mining supports                                                                        direct jobs in Alaska.The mining industry has a long history as amajor part of Alaska’s economy. Mining provides     8,600Alaska mining accounts for             jobshigh-paying jobs in the state, with the estimated   when you consider direct and indirect positions.average annual wage over $100,000. Miningcompanies spent more than $65 million onexploration in 2015 and more than $3.4 billionsince 1981. Another $120 million was spent onmine development in 2016. Mines also paid $23million to local governments in 2016. Red DogMine is the largest taxpayer in the NWAB, andmines are the largest property taxpayers in theFairbanks North Star Borough and the City andBorough of Juneau. Mining also paid $81 millionto the State in 2016 and $111 million to AlaskaNative corporations.*   Based on Ambler Mining Region Economic Impact Analysis done by Cardno January 16, 2015*Data from The Economic Benefits of Alaska’s Mining Industry, January 2017
Alaska Industrial Development & Export AuthorityINDUS TRI AL ACCE S S PROJEC TWHAT IS THE TIMELINE FOR THE PROJECT?Hunters will not be allowedThe EIS on the project is expected to be complete                  to access the a rea via theby December 30, 2019, with a Record of Decision                    Ambler Road.by January 30, 2020 (see graphic on back).WOULD THERE BE PUBLIC ACCESS ON THE                   A guard will be stationed at the gate                                                      to the Ambler Road 24/7 to stopROAD? COULD THE PUBLIC USE IT FOR                     any unauthorized vehicles.HUNTING AND FISHING?                                  Only certified and authorized                                                      drivers will have access to theThe Right of Way permit for which AIDEA has           road and will be instructed to radioapplied is a limited access, non-public industrial    in any unauthorized activity inroad. Access will be limited to commercial            the area.transportation and drivers with CommercialDriver’s Licenses, insurance, and other credentials.  Unlike the Dalton Highway, AmblerRestricting public access increases traffic safety    Road access restrictions will beon the road and road users would not be allowed       written into several land-use andto use the road for hunting and fishing. There will   financing documents that willbe no public access to the road for hunting           legally restrict the use of theand fishing.                                          road. Agreements with AIDEA,                                                      Doyon, NANA, Alaska Department                                                      of Natural Resources (DNR), and                                                      BLM will provide restrictions on                                                      access rights granted.The Ambler Road will not be open to the               ! The industrial road will be designedpublic for hunting or any other public use –                    and built exclusively for commercialthe financial and land-use agreements that                      vehicles and will require them to bewill be in place w ill not allow any individual                in radio contact. In addition to legalto open the road as was done with the                           restrictions, it would be impracticalDalton Highway.                                                 and potentially dangerous to allow                                                                the general public to use the road.                       – John Springsteen                       The Ambler Road will not be built to                         AIDEA, Executive Director              public r oad standards.                                                                                 www.ambleraccess.org
Alaska Industrial Development & Export AuthorityCHRONOLOGY OF THE AMBLER ROAD DEVELOPMENT & FINANCING         1                                                                    2                                           3            In 1980, Congress specifically called                               Preliminary road studies, public             BLM begins            out the need to allow access to the                                 input, and route refinement.                 scoping process.            Ambler Mining District when it passed            ANILCA (Section 201(4)(b)).                                                                           WE ARE                          4                                                                                                                   HERE                              Draft EISSTART                                                                                                                                                issued.8 Agreements penned             7                                             6   with mine(s) for terms       Legal agreements with                          BLM issues Record   on paying back               BLM, NPS, DNR, NANA,                           of Decision.   construction and             Doyon, and NWAB   O&M costs of the             must be secured to                                                                STOP                            5   road project.                move forward with the                                                                                                Final EIS                                project — each                                                                                                       issued.9                               agreement will outline Finalize design and            terms and conditions                                                              13    AIDEA hires construction costs.            which will restrict                                road use.                                                                               Operation and                                                                                                                        Maintenance                                                                              12                                        contractor to                                                                                 AIDEA hires security                   maintain and                                                                                 contractor to                          repair the road.                                                                                 maintain safety and10 11 security, and toAIDEA secures financing to fund  Construction of                              ensure the integrity                                                                              of wildlife safetythe up-front costs of the road   pioneer road.                                agreements areconstruction.PROJECT BENEFITSupheld.15RRoOadAoDpenCoOnlyNtoSliTceRnsUedC, mTiInOe aNnd AND14                                                                  Construction of mine(s)                                                                                                 MINES (4 MINES)in the district (separate                                                                                                                          activity and not part ofOcceoPrmtiEmficuRantiAitoynT-saIpnOodnNsaourStehdoJrtirOzaafBftiicoS.nDriver  Full construction  CONSTRUCTION             this project).                                                                              of the road.An annuarel qauvireerdafogrerooafd 4us8e6. jobs over the road                 5,933 direct jobs over two years for mineconstruction period.                                                          construction with $457.4 million in wages.Up to 68 full-time jobs annually for road                                     9,278 direct, indirect, and induced jobs withoperations and maintenance.                                                   $642.6 million in wages.16 17Mines pay tolls and mineral royalty                                           AIDEA continues to collect toll and mineral royalty fees after thefees that escalate if traffic increases                                       debt service for the road is paid off. This model was used for      ENDor the price of minerals increase.                                            construction of the road to the Red Dog Mine. AIDEA revenuesThese monies are used to pay back                                             are used to support additional economic development andthe full cost of the road.                                                    provide dividends to the state’s general fund.Based on Ambler Mining Region Economic Impact Analysis done by Cardno January 16, 2015                                                                                                                                     www.ambleraccess.org
                                
                                
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