Are Alaska's critical minerals worth the cost of extraction? Locals weigh in

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published October 31, 2025 at 8:49 AM PDT

The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, where the Ambler Road project would pass through, is visible from Ambler, Alaska, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Annika Hammerschlag/AP)

Alaska has approved permits for a proposed industrial road that would cut through 211 miles of pristine arctic wilderness. President Trump fast-tracked approval for the Ambler Road project earlier this month, as part of a broader push to capitalize on the state’s vast oil, gas and mineral reserves.

The road would give mining companies access to a vast trove of untapped copper, cobalt and rare-earth minerals, but environmental groups and some Alaska Natives oppose the project.

Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with two of them: PJ Simon, chief of Allakaket Village, says the road will lead to jobs and a better life for those in his community.

Karmen Monigold, an Inupiaq member of the northwest Arctic advocacy group Protect the Kobuk, sees an ecological catastrophe waiting to happen.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.