The mining industry and state of Alaska slammed the Biden administration's reported plan to block a controversial access road to a mining district, saying such a move is politically motivated, illegal and at odds with the need for domestic sources of key minerals.

In an environmental analysis due this week, theInterior Departmentplanned to issue a "no action" recommendation for the proposedAmbler Road project, effectively blocking the 211-mile artery that would connect an existing highway to a remote area in northwestern Alaska where mining companies want to explore for copper and other minerals, according to media reports.