Trump Revives Ambler Road, Takes Trilogy Stake

President Trump signed an executive order reviving construction of the 211-mile Ambler Access Road to Alaska’s Ambler Mining District, overturning a Biden-era decision that had rescinded permits over environmental and Indigenous-community concerns. The White House announced a $35.6 million federal investment to acquire roughly a 10% stake in Trilogy Metals, with warrants for an additional 7.5%, a move that sent Trilogy shares up roughly 200% in premarket trading. The administration says the road and federal stake will unlock domestic deposits of copper, cobalt, gallium, germanium and other critical minerals used in electric vehicles, renewable energy and defense, and projects the project will create more than 2,700 jobs and generate about $1.1 billion in state revenues over its lifespan. Critics cite Bureau of Land Management findings that the road would fragment Western Arctic caribou habitat, harm fish habitat, and disproportionately affect subsistence, health and livelihoods for Alaska Native villages. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the White House say the plan balances resource development with environmental stewardship and envisions shared ownership with the state and Native Alaskan entities.