Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Alaska's critical minerals prospects hinge on a disputed road in the Arctic
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Aerial view of Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska. Source: @AlaskaNPS ([link removed])
The fate of Alaska Native communities, Arctic wildlife, and Alaska's critical mineral prospects lies in part with the Interior Department's review of a proposed 211-mile gravel road at the doorstep of Gates of the Arctic National Park. ([link removed]) The proposed road would provide access to the Ambler Mining District, an area rich with copper, cobalt, lead, and zinc—minerals essential to electric vehicles.
In 2020, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) found ([link removed]) that the road would degrade salmon habitat, disrupt caribou migration, spread invasive species and asbestos, and contribute to thawing permafrost, but the leadership at the department under the Trump administration nonetheless approved the Ambler Road. In September, the BLM began updating its environmental review of the proposed road and soliciting public comments ([link removed]) . It is expected to announce next steps on the approval process in the coming months.
Alaska's Arctic ecosystem is already rapidly transforming due to the impacts of climate change. Nancy Fresco, a research professor at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks said of the potential for expanded drilling and mining in Alaska's Arctic ([link removed]) , “Once humans start chiseling away at the larger landscape, the connectedness starts to break down. Ecosystem repair is much harder than ecosystem protection.”
Many Alaska Native tribes worry that the road construction and associated mining will damage salmon and caribou habitat essential for their survival. “It feels like so many times people think they have better ideas of what we should or shouldn’t do in regards to our traditional lands,” said Brian Ridley, chief of the 37-tribe Tanana Chiefs Conference, which has sued to stop the road. ([link removed]) “We’ve been the stewards for thousands of years, and that’s why our concern is trying to protect them as much as we can.”
Quick hits
** How did national parks and mining get so entangled?
------------------------------------------------------------
Slate ([link removed])
** Climate change on the ballot in races across the country
------------------------------------------------------------
NPR ([link removed]) | Grist ([link removed])
** Environmental groups push Interior to delay lease sales
------------------------------------------------------------
E&E News ([link removed])
** Satellite data show disappearing groundwater in Colorado River Basin
------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
** California startup says it can predict where wildfires might start, creating a new tool for insurers
------------------------------------------------------------
CNBC ([link removed])
** Report: Climate change is impacting wildlife migration patterns in Idaho
------------------------------------------------------------
Idaho Statesman ([link removed])
** Alaska's critical minerals prospects hinge on a disputed road in the Arctic
------------------------------------------------------------
Bloomberg Law ([link removed])
** Opinion: A major win for the Thompson Divide but there is more work to be done
------------------------------------------------------------
Aspen Times ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Public lands are a key component of our Hispanic identity, especially in New Mexico, as they help tell the story of the diverse and complex history of our nation. These places, all of which are Indigenous ancestral lands, preserve our shared cultural heritage."
—Ray Trejo, New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])
Picture this
** @Interior ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
A total lunar eclipse will occur early on Tuesday morning, the last total lunar eclipse for three years. No special glasses are needed, but a dark environment away from bright lights makes for the best viewing conditions. Photo: @ArchesNPS ([link removed]) by Brian Doyle
============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2022 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.
Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
