Biden administration seeks to revisit Trump approval of Alaska mining road

The Biden administration announced late Tuesday that it hopes to take a second look at a road that would provide access for a mining area in Alaska. 

The administration on Tuesday asked a federal court to allow it to revise decisions approving the road, which would have given access to the Ambler Mining District in northwest Alaska.

That area is home to deposits of minerals such as copper and zinc, and supporters of the project sought to bolster mining of those minerals. 

But opponents have raised concerns about potential impacts on indigenous communities and wildlife. 

In a statement on Tuesday, Interior Department spokeswoman Melissa Schwartz said that the department wants to take another look at the project to correct “significant deficiencies” in its underlying analyses. 

And Schwartz said that the department will suspend its current approval during the review to “ensure that no ground-disturbing activity takes place that could potentially impact the resources in question.” 

The announcement comes on the heels of other mining announcements Tuesday by the Biden administration. 

Specifically, Interior announced the launch of an interagency working group that aims to recommend improvements to make sure that mining “meets strong environmental and community and Tribal engagement standards” while also “improving the efficiency and outcomes of the permitting process.”

And it updated its list of critical minerals to exclude uranium. 

Meanwhile, the White House touted private sector actions that it says will bolster the critical mineral supply chain.