The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 324
Alaska's mining industry captured the attention, not only of Alaskans but also the country during the past year when a controversy over the proposed Pebble Project in Southwest Alaska bubbled to the surface. Supporters and opponents of a ballot initiative aimed at blocking the mining venture squared off in a vocal and often strident campaign that made headlines nationwide. Alaska Miners Association director Steve Borell cited the contest over development the world-class...
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 6-3 vote to uphold Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp.'s tailings disposal permits at the Kensington gold mine located about 45 miles northwest of Juneau. The June 22 decision came in response to a challenge to a permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that allows the proposed mine to dispose in a nearby lake waste rock created during mining. The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council and other environmental groups fought the miner's plan... Full story
Coeur Alaska, developer of the Kensington Project near Juneau, is drawing the ongoing support of Alaska and Alaskans as it continues its legal battle to gain regulatory permission to begin gold production. The case involves a challenge to a permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that allows the proposed mine to dispose of waste rock created during production in a nearby lake. Coeur hopes the permit will be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is currently...
Although the Supreme Court is still deliberating the fate of the Kensington project's tailings permits the Juneau assembly is proactively opposing proposed federal legislation that could override a ruling in favor of Coeur. The Juneau Assembly passed a resolution April 6 opposing the U.S. House bill H.R. 1310, the "Clean Water Protection Act," by a margin of 5-4. The assembly's opposition to H.R. 1310 - which would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to redefine...
The U.S Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 12 in a case that challenges Coeur Alaska Inc.'s federal permit to dispose of tailings from the Kensington gold mining project into a nearby lake. Though the wet disposal plan had won approval from federal and state regulators, environmental groups sought to block it, arguing that it violated provisions of the federal Clean Water Act. Coeur Alaska's parent, Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp., took the case to the nation's highest court af... Full story
Despite the strong price and increasing investment surge for gold, Gold Fields Mineral Services reported in it's Gold Survey 2008 summary that global gold mine production dropped 4 percent in 2008 to reach its lowest level since 1995. Australia, Indonesia and South Africa experienced the most significant declines in production with Mexico and Russia seeing increases in production. South African production plummeted by an estimated 14 percent, the sharpest percentage fall... Full story
On Jan. 12, 2009, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, generally referred to as the Kensington case. Like all complex issues, this case defies simple explanation, but there is a kernel issue which can be held up to the light for examination. Since 1972, when the Clean Water Act was overhauled, there has been a split in the responsibilities for the management of our national waterways. Those...
Alaska saw robust mining activity in 2008 across the full spectrum of the industry, from small placer operations to major producers, and from exploration programs to advanced development projects. Here is a look at companies reporting significant progress during the year. Placer mining Silverado Gold Mines Ltd. has recovered 26,879 ounces of placer gold from channel and bench deposits in the Nolan Valley through 2007. The largest nugget recovered from the property, located about 280 miles north of Fairbanks, weighed 41.35...
Hecla Mining Co. now has until Feb. to pay off the remaining balance on the $240 million bridge loan it took out to purchase Rio Tinto's 70.27 percent of the Greens Creek Mine near Juneau, Alaska. In April, the Coeur D'Alene-based silver miner agreed to pay $750 million ($700 million in cash and $50 million in Hecla common stock) to its Greens Creek partner, Rio Tinto, for 100 percent ownership of the Southeast Alaska silver mine. Hecla put about $340 million from its...
Alaska's mineral industry set a new spending record of about $4 billion in 2007, up 13.3 percent from the value of the industry's expenditures in 2006, according to an 89-page report released Nov. 5 by the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys and the Office of Economic Development. The industry's reported value, according to DGGS, is calculated by combining the amount spent on exploration and development with the production value of mines in Alaska. While 2007 was a... Full story
The national sucking sound of venture capital exiting the mining industry has now expanded to a worldwide sucking sound as virtually all of the world's economies fight the massive, unprecedented credit crunch which started in the U.S. The mining industry is certainly not alone in feeling the down turn but its effects in Alaska began to be felt last month and continued this month as projects were shortened, plans down-sized or programs cancelled, all in an effort to preserve...
Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp.'s Kensington gold mine project, located about 45 miles northwest of Juneau, is expecting a Supreme Court ruling on its tailings permits in early 2009. If the court upholds the permits, Coeur hopes to complete its tailings facilities and begin gold production by the end of next year. Once in production the mine will employ about 200 people, and produce about 140,000 ounces of gold per year. Proven and probable reserves measure about 1.4 million ounces of gold, and an additional 623,000 ounces...
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., D-New Jersey, has circulated a letter to his fellow representatives encouraging them to sign an amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. U.S. Reps. Don Young, R-Alaska, Bill Sali, R - Ind., and Mike Simpson, R - Idaho, responded to the appeal by Pallone with a letter of their own, urging their colleagues on Capital Hill "not to sign an erroneous amicus brief to kill good-paying American...
Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp. has terminated a permitting process for building a paste tailings facility for the Kensington gold mine project, which is located 45 miles north-northwest of Juneau. The decision, which leaves the company relying on the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the Southeast Alaska mine project's original tailings disposal permit, came after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued comments Sept. 16 on the draft Environmental Assessment for an alternative... Full story
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that invalidated tailings permits granted by federal regulators for the Kensington gold mine project in Southeast Alaska. The appeals court ruled in May 2007 that disposal of waste generated by processing gold ore at Kensington in a nearby lake would violate the Clean Water Act and negated permits issued by the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Coeur Alaska Inc.,...
Assays are beginning to roll in from projects around Alaska with some particularly impressive results from gold exploration in the Livengood District and equally impressive polymetallic results from the Fortymile and Haines Districts. Additional results from gold, copper, base metal and uranium projects are due to come out in the near future as the bulk of Alaska's seasonal exploration programs begin to churn out their results. Although gold, silver and copper prices remain high, lead and zinc prices are down 20 percent in... Full story
The game is afoot all across Alaska with the drills turning to the right on projects all across the state. The operating mines turned in strong first-quarter results and several new acquisitions, joint ventures and new players were announced in the last month. Western Alaska Teck Cominco American announced first quarter results from its Red Dog Mine. In the first quarter, the mine produced 138,500 metric tons of zinc in concentrate. Zinc ore grade increased to 21.3 percent while mill recoveries remained steady at 83.8...
The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing Jan. 24 on legislation that the U.S. House of Representatives approved last year that would impose stiff new royalties on hardrock mining companies. The full committee heard testimony on reform of the Mining Law of 1872 from a range of witnesses, primarily from western states, including Henri Bisson, deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management; and Randy Wanamaker, deputy mayor of Juneau and executive director of the BBC Human Resources Development Cor...
Hecla Mining Co., longtime minority share owner of the Greens Creek Mine, Feb. 12 said it agreed to purchase for $750 million the remaining 70.3 percent interest in the Southeast Alaska operation that is owned by Rio Tinto subsidiary Kennecott. The cash deal will give Hecla of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 100 percent control of the world's fifth largest silver mine and will nearly double the company's silver output to about 11 million ounces annually. Greens Creek also produces commercial quantities of gold, zinc and lead. The...
Rio Tinto Plc, parent of the company that owns a majority of the Greens Creek Mine, said it would like to sell the Southeast Alaska investment. The move, however, is not expected to affect the profitable zinc, lead and silver mine's operations on Admiralty Island, nor its 325 employees, according to Clayton Walker, the mine's general manager. London-based Rio Tinto, which owns a 70.3 percent stake in the mine, is one of the largest mining companies in the world. Rio Tinto has said it is looking to divest a number of its asset...
For those of you who could not attend the Alaska Miners Association convention in Anchorage in early November, you missed what I understand was a record attendance and presentations on some of the most exciting mining developments in the last decade. In addition, I noticed a lot more business being conducted around the conference hotel than is normally the case. Geologists and engineers from companies large and small could be seen hunkered down over reports and maps with... Full story
Coeur Alaska Inc., operator of the Kensington Gold Project near Juneau, has joined Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, Lynn Canal Conservation and Juneau's Sierra Club in drafting a new plan for disposing of tailings from the mine project. Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho announced the agreement Nov. 15, saying Coeur Alaska and the groups "will ask the U.S. Forest Service to examine the use of a site near Comet Beach for disposal of the Kensington mine tailings." Two weeks earlier, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of... Full story
Tom Henderson has been promoted to general manager for Coeur Alaska as the operator of the Kensington Gold Mine moves toward production, parent company Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp. said Oct. 18. Henderson, who has served as mine manager for Kensington since late 2006, will replace Tim Arnold effective Nov. 1. After overseeing construction of the Kensington Mine Project, Arnold is leaving his post as Coeur Alaska vice president and general manager to pursue other opportunities, the company said. Henderson previously worked as a...
Vancouver, B.C.-based NovaGold Resources is progressing rapidly with its Rock Creek and Galore Creek projects - and it looks like the company might get some support from an unexpected quarter. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing Sept. 26 in a lawsuit brought by a Nome citizens' group against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a permit it issued for Rock Creek, and at least one of the three judges was adamantly in favor of the mine. Judge Andrew Kleinfeld repeatedly interrupted attorney Brian Litmans, who with... Full story
The University of Alaska Mining and Petroleum Training Services is launching a new program at the University of Alaska Southeast this fall aimed at training a new generation of miners. The MAPTS Training Center is a direct result of growing demand for trained mining personnel in Southeast. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Aug. 28 and classes are scheduled to begin Oct. 15. The center is offering a five-week, entry-level mine training course. Three courses formerly taught...
