North of 60 Mining News - The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North

As you have heard by now, a large segment of the federal government has been furloughed over some sort of a squabble between the Leader of the Free World and the newly-elected Speaker of the... — Updated 1/24/2019 Full story

There can be no doubt that April 27, 1973, was an auspicious day in Nebraska, not just because Jason Brune, Governor-Elect Dunleavy's pick to become the Commissioner of the Alaska Department... — Updated 12/1/2018 Full story

I have always been bemused by an apparently historic inconsistency between the Declaration of Independence and the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. The first speaks of "life, liberty and... — Updated 11/2/2018 Full story

I always get a giggle when I hear the stark warnings about the death and destruction that are going to occur as the result of the huge contribution that anthropomorphic activities, especially... — Updated 10/5/2018 Full story

The Donlin Project took one step closer to becoming the next major mine in Alaska when on Aug. 13, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior signed off on a record of... — Updated 9/7/2018 Full story

Undoubtedly, one of the most fun parts of my vocation is introducing Cheechakos to mining in Alaska. Obviously, even the most experienced miners in the state can, and often do, get... — Updated 6/8/2018 Full story

In my younger years, I was hornswoggled into believing in “truth, justice and the American way.” I had no idea how evil that “way” actually was. Later, as I progressed through high... — Updated 4/26/2018 Full story

Arguably, the process of adopting laws and regulations is well-intentioned; but like the blind men trying to describe an elephant, those who embrace the tail perceive a creature much unlike... — Updated 3/23/2018 Full story

In an earlier column (Dec. 24, 2017), the question of proposed regulations affecting mining on State land was flagged for readers’ attention because the initial scope of the contemplated ch... — Updated 2/22/2018 Full story

With the holidays in the rear view mirror and the convention season half-way over, mining operators in Alaska, big and small, are processing their paperwork for the upcoming field season.... — Updated 1/25/2018 Full story

For the past 20 months or so, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been wrestling with some proposed changes to the regulations concerning the location and maintenance of State of... — Updated 12/24/2017

Although the Bureau of Land Management has been developing land management plans for decades, in the past those plans have had two qualities that made them tolerable. First, they were relativ... — Updated 1/25/2018 Full story

For the past 20 months or so, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been wrestling with some proposed changes to the regulations concerning the location and maintenance of State of... — Updated 12/23/2017

Last week the Pebble Project announced that it had reached a settlement with the EPA of pending litigation in conjunction with the agency's previous determination to block the development of... — Updated 1/27/2018 Full story

I must be getting old because I remember when, in 1966, Robert Kennedy first uttered the so-called Chinese curse about living in interesting times. It is probably one of his more memorable... — Updated 1/28/2018

Montana's lone Congressman, Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., who is President Trump's nominee to be the next Secretary of the Interior, was sautéed (fried quickly in hot oil) for four hours on... — Updated 1/28/2018

Like all Americans, those of us who live in that part of America that is generally contained in a tiny inset on the lower left corner of traditional maps, have watched and waited as the most... — Updated 1/24/2018

Like lots of folks, I was somewhat astounded that Secretary (Hillary) Clinton was able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory earlier this month. Everyone, of course, expected the left... — Updated 1/28/2018 Full story

I'll be the first to concede that the upcoming election is probably a done deal, and that for Alaskans, it is probably far more important that we do our best to ensure that Republican... — Updated 2/5/2018

Given the fluidity of the presidential contest, it may not be premature to dust off our hip pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution and worry about what happens if neither of the contenders gets... — Updated 2/6/2018 Full story

It has been a long time since I took high school civics, so it is easy to understand how things may have changed. However, one of its precepts that has served me to this day is the idea that... — Updated 1/28/2018 Full story

In 1831, 26 year-old French lawyer Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United State [sic] of America for about 10 months and returned to his homeland to write the seminal "Democracy in... — Updated 6/19/2016

On March 28, 2016, six days after the U. S. Supreme Court rendered its unanimous opinion in the matter of "Sturgeon v. Frost," I offered testimony before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural... — Updated 4/17/2016

God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion. … [T]he tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. - Thomas Jefferson, 1787... — Updated 3/20/2016 Full story

I do love metaphors and aphorisms; there's one for every occasion. For instance, it is often noted that, on the one hand, it is always darkest before the dawn and, on the other, that the... — Updated 1/24/2016