Patagonia submitted the following to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Stacie McIntosh
Bureau of Land Management 222 W. 7th Ave., Stop #13 Anchorage, AK 99513

Re: Comments for the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Road

Dear Ms. McIntosh:

Patagonia is a U.S.-based outdoor apparel brand that, for over 30 years, has advocated for the strongest possible protections for the Indigenous people, wildlife, lands, and waters in Alaska. We are submitting comments for the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Road and urge the BLM to select the No Action Alternative and revoke the permits for the road.

Throughout our history, Patagonia has provided over $1.3 million in direct grant funding from our 1% for the Planet program to environmental nonprofits working to protect Alaska’s lands and waters, and we have used our brand resources to advocate for protection, including print publications and films, policy campaigns, customer communication, social media, public comments, and lawsuit support. Just this year, the newly established Holdfast Collective, which receives all profits not reinvested back into the Patagonia, donated over $4 million to various climate and conservation priorities across Alaska.

The proposed Ambler Road project would jeopardize one of the last great intact ecosystems in our country and the many local and native communities that rely on its healthy lands, waters and wildlife. The road would disrupt approximately 20 million acres of connected park lands and roadless landscapes, impact nearly 3,000 streams and rivers with pollution and disrupt one of the longest land migrations on Earth – the Western Arctic Caribou Herd – which many local communities rely on to sustain their way of life. Visitors from around the world are drawn to the Brooks Range for its wilderness character and recreational opportunities like rafting, backpacking and dog mushing. Lodges and guiding businesses positively impact Alaska’s economy and depend on this remote landscape for their livelihoods.

We are experiencing a rapidly warming planet, with 2023 being the hottest year on record. Industry proponents claim the mines would procure minerals needed for electrification and national security, but the data does not show large enough deposits of minerals to meaningfully boost the green energy buildout. While the data does indicate large amounts of copper, it is not in short supply elsewhere in the United States, and supply chains have other limiting factors, for example, all copper refining happens outside the U.S.

Meanwhile, the risks of development are significant. The state would subsidize foreign mining companies to the tune of $1.4 billion to build the road with no guarantee of economic return, all while devastating the region’s waters, lands, biodiversity, and Alaska Native ways of life. We know that protecting nature is critical for climate resilience, community resilience, and biodiversity protection. Alaska holds more than half of the country’s carbon stores, serving as a significant natural climate solution. Protecting and restoring public lands and waters can provide approximately 1/3 of the carbon sequestration needed, globally, to solve the climate crisis by way of carbon sequestration and reduced carbon emissions.

This landscape must be protected for its vital importance to Alaska Native communities and as a solution to protecting our planet. Please choose the No Action Alternative in this SEIS and revoke the Ambler industrial mining road permits.

Sincerely,

Hans Cole, VP of Environmental Activism Patagonia