In a major step toward developing the Ambler Mining District, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council has accepted the Arctic project in Northwest Alaska into FAST-41, a federal program designed to coordinate and streamline permitting for large infrastructure projects considered critical to the United States economy.
“Acceptance into the FAST-41 program is one of the most significant milestones in the Arctic Project’s history,” said Trilogy President and CEO Tony Giardini. “The United States currently imports a substantial share of its copper supply from foreign nations – a strategic vulnerability that FAST-41, by providing a clear and coordinated federal permitting framework for domestic mineral projects, could help alleviate.”
A mine at Arctic is expected to deliver 1.9 billion pounds of copper, 2.3 billion lb of zinc, 388 million lb of lead, 40.6 million ounces of silver, and 386,000 oz of gold over an initial 12 years of operation, according to a 2022 study detailing the economic and engineering parameters of the project.
Ambler Metals, a 50-50 joint venture owned by Trilogy and South32 Ltd., filed federal permit applications for the Arctic mine project in April.
That application has now been accepted into the FAST-41 program, which establishes a coordinated and predictable permitting process for large, complex projects deemed strategically important to the U.S.
Acceptance into FAST-41 triggers an initial 60-day coordination phase during which the lead permitting agency and cooperating federal agencies will develop a coordinated project plan and permitting schedule for Arctic.
The Permitting Council holds both permitting agencies and project applicants accountable for meeting deadlines established under the process. Project proponents are likewise responsible for providing the information and technical materials needed to maintain the schedule.
Permitting milestones and agency progress are tracked through a publicly accessible FAST-41 dashboard, increasing transparency and allowing stakeholders to monitor the project’s progress through the federal review process.
With the 60-day coordination phase triggered, a complete timetable for federal permitting of Arctic Mine is expected by mid-July.
“Inclusion on the Federal Permitting Dashboard signals that the Arctic Project has been recognized at the highest levels of government as a nationally important critical minerals asset,” said Giardini. “For our shareholders and for the State of Alaska, this program provides a defined, transparent, and enforceable permitting schedule.”
Arctic is widely viewed as the economic cornerstone for developing the broader Ambler Mining District, a roughly 70-mile-long mineral belt in Northwest Alaska that hosts dozens of deposits and occurrences enriched in high-grade critical and precious metals.
The three most advanced deposits in the district – Arctic, Bornite, and Sun – host more than 9 billion lb of copper and 3 billion lb of zinc, along with substantial quantities of silver, gold, lead, cobalt, gallium, and germanium.
Despite the size and grade of these deposits, the district has remained undeveloped due to its remote location roughly 150 to 200 miles beyond Alaska’s existing highway system.
As the first mine slated for development in the district, Arctic is expected to provide the economic foundation for the proposed Ambler Access Project, a 211-mile industrial road that would connect the district to Alaska’s highway network.
Because the proposed road and mine are closely linked, coordination of their respective development timelines is considered important.
The federal permits for developing the Ambler Access Project have been approved, and the U.S. Department of the Interior transferred ownership of lands along the Dalton Highway at the east end of the proposed road to Alaska, a move that is expected to further facilitate road development.
During an April 17 address to more than 100 Alaska on the Hill delegates gathered in Washington, D.C., Interior Secretary Doug Burgum highlighted the importance of the Ambler Road and the mineral district it will provide access to.
“We can create prosperity for Alaskans, create opportunities, and we can get out from underneath the grip of China controlling 85 to 100% of the mining and refining of these critical minerals,” he said.
Acceptance of the Arctic Mine for streamlined permitting under FAST-41 is a major milestone toward realizing that prosperity and strengthening domestic mineral supply chains that are increasingly important to U.S. economic and national security interests.