Ambler Metals claims to be an Alaska company. It's owned by two foreign companies.

The Biden administration temporarily blocked the proposed 211-mile Ambler road project Friday. Here is the record of decision.

The usual suspects had the usual comments.

'The decision is illegal and outrageous, said Alaska politicians and the mining industry.

The decision is great news, said members of Alaska environmental and conservation groups.

This is not the last word on the project, as the administrative and legal battles will continue.

Sen. Dan Sullivan is pushing an amendment in a defense bill that would override the Biden administration, claiming the proposed road is a matter of national security.

It’s also a matter of mining companies that see a chance to make a lot of money mining copper, zinc, lead, gold and other metals. This motive is almost never mentioned by the proponents, who prefer to say that it’s all about creating Alaska jobs and an alternative to imports from China.

The press coverage of the Biden blockage included comments from Ambler Metals, the company that would get access to mine prospects if the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority ever gets clearance to sell hundreds of millions in bonds and build the road.

“Kaleb Froehlich, managing director of mining venture Ambler Metals, slammed the decision, saying it would deprive Alaska of ‘good-paying jobs, revenues and investment.’ He also warned that it would undermine the Biden administration’s own goal of strengthening U.S. supply chains for critical minerals used in clean-energy technologies,” the Washington Post reported.

“We remain committed to the project and will explore all legal, legislative, and regulatory avenues to move it forward,” said Froehlich.

In February, Froehlich left his job as chief of staff for Sen. Lisa Murkowski. He went to work for the Holland & Hart law firm in its Anchorage and Washington, D.C. offices.

“Froehlich told PI (Politico Influence) he doesn’t plan on registering to lobby initially in his new role, but will work with the Alaskan mining company Ambler Metals on permitting and external affairs, as well as other Alaskan groups like Alaska Native corporations,” Politico said.

At Holland & Hart, Froehlich “focuses on advising clients in the mining, oil and gas, public lands, tourism, fisheries, arctic, and renewable energy industries,” the firm says.

The website for Ambler Metals LLC is revealing for what it contains and what it leaves out.

Ambler Metals LLC promotes itself as an “Alaskan company with offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks.”

It is an Alaska company in the sense that it has registered with the State of Alaska as a “Foreign Limited Liability Company,” which means it is not what anyone in Alaska would consider an Alaska company.

Here is the latest filing with the state from Ambler Metals LLC.

The LLC is owned by two foreign companies, one from Vancouver, B.C., and one from Perth, Australia.

NovaCopper US Inc. and South32 USA Exploration Inc. each own half of Ambler Metals LLC.

NovaCopper US Inc. is owned by Trilogy Metals of Vancouver, Canada.

“Trilogy’s vision is to develop the Ambler Mining District into a premier North American copper producer while protecting and respecting subsistence livelihoods,” Trilogy said in an April press release.

Here is the latest filing for NovaCopper with the state.

Here is the latest filing with the state for South32 USA Exploration, which is registered as a foreign business corporation. It is owned by South32 International Holdings PTY Ltd. of Perth.

Ambler Metals does not provide details of its ownership on its website, other than displaying this incomplete graphic.

Trilogy, a company from Vancouver, B.C., and South32, a company from Perth, Australia, own 100 percent of Ambler Metals. The nature of the NANA partnership with Ambler Metals continues, though NANA has withdrawn from the AIDEA road-building effort, citing a range of disagreements.

On its website, Ambler makes its claim about being an Alaska company beneath the graphic shown here, concealing the foreign ownership of the company.

The company says integrity is one of its core values: “We build our relationships on trust, strong ethics, and morals.”

It should abandon the “Alaskan company with offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks” claim.

For purposes of trust, ethics and morals, Amber Metals LLC should say it is an Australian/Canadian company with offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks.

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