AIDEA will discuss the Ambler road in Kotzebue, with the public out

The state development authority behind the Ambler road will talk about the project next week in Kotzebue, in a session closed to the public.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority board meets at the Nullagvik Hotel on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday's executive session covers the authority's finances and a list of projects that includes Ambler, along with the Arctic refuge, Red Dog, West Susitna access and the Ketchikan shipyard. What the board says about any of them will not be heard by the people in the room or on the line.

The public portion is lighter: a resolution on the state energy conference, draft meeting dates for 2027, and routine project and loan reports.

The 211-mile industrial road would run west from the Dalton Highway to the Ambler mining district, across country that Interior and Northwest Arctic communities use for subsistence. The Tanana Chiefs Conference asked the Bureau of Land Management last year to choose the no-action alternative, citing harm to subsistence resources and wildlife. BLM had done exactly that in June 2024, then reversed itself last October and reissued a 50-year right-of-way.

That same month, the AIDEA board moved $50 million from its revolving fund into a dedicated account for permitting, construction and legal costs on the road.

Only Tuesday's meeting takes spoken public comment. Written comments are due to the authority by 4 pm the day before each meeting.