The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
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In what could be the most consequential "pollice verso" for Alaska, in a time when the federal government is seeking to shift the paradigm from more than a century of petroleum dependency to clean renewable energy, the Environmental Protection Agency issued its final determination under the Clean Water Act to help protect Bristol Bay, invariably crippling the more than two decades of effort toward establishing a mine at the world-class copper-gold-molybdenum-silver-rhenium...
Says pending veto of Pebble copper mine permits sets a precedent with implications that go beyond Alaska. Alarmed by the precedent that would be set if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is successful in issuing a preemptive veto of the Pebble Mine through the extension of its authority under the federal Clean Water Act, Gov. Mike Dunleavy says his administration is prepared to defend Alaska's right and obligation to develop resources on state lands. "The State of...
A shortage of the graphite required for the lithium-ion batteries powering the transition to electric mobility is elevating the criticality of Graphite One Inc.'s plans to develop a mine in Alaska and advanced graphite processing and recycling facility in the Pacific Northwest. "Our strategy is to build a complete graphite anode supply chain – from mine to battery – located in the United States," said Graphite One CEO Anthony Huston. "And to complete the circular economy for...
Top objectives of new state office offers benefits for Alaska’s mining industry. Alaska's mining sector stands to benefit from a new Office of Energy Innovation established by Gov. Mike Dunleavy in two ways – policies and investments that support low-cost and low-carbon sources of energy to power mines, and the development of a strong critical minerals mining program in the state. "Alaskans need energy supplies that are stable and secure," said Akis Gialopsos, acting com...
Pebble Limited Partnership presses for withdrawal of preemptive veto As the Environmental Protection Agency closed public input on its 2022 proposed determination, Pebble Limited Partnership calls on the agency to withdraw its preemptive veto of the Pebble copper mine project, ultimately finalizing the permit process undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. About a year ago, the EPA made known its intention to reinitiate the process of making a Clean Water Act Section...
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, America's tenuous relationship with China, and global competition for the enormous volume of mined materials needed to build the envisioned clean energy future has elevated the urgency for the United States to bolster domestic critical mineral supply chains. For many, these geopolitical and economic realities have elevated the development of Alaska's incredible critical mineral resources to a national imperative. The urgency of this matter is why... Full story
The White House's bold clean energy ambitions, which are intricately linked to the availability of reliable supplies of the metals needed to build electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure, are being slowed by a tug-o-war between departments within the Biden administration. While the departments of Commerce, Defense, and Energy are forging ahead with programs and investments aimed at ensuring America has the minerals and metals needed to support the clean energy...
Last week my good friend and colleague Curt Freeman wrote an article titled: "Is it time to press the reset button?". The article made me laugh and got me thinking – and rather than just falling in line with all the Dorothy's out there and just whine about it or blame COVID, Putin, Biden or the Billionaires club, I decided to proffer a few tangible suggestions that I believe are within reach and importantly - largely within our control, say within the next ten years; we j... Full story
The global transition to low-carbon energy and transportation is both an incredible opportunity and daunting challenge for Alaska's mining sector. On the one hand, Alaska is incredibly enriched with the minerals and metals required to build electric vehicles, solar panels, wind farms, and other clean energy technologies. On the other, America's Last Frontier is burdened by a lack of affordable, low-carbon energy options in the remote reaches of the state where many of these...
Following the Environmental Protection Agency's revised "proposed determination" for the Pebble mine, Alaska policymakers came out in both scathing and measured statements regarding the possible precedent such preemptive veto might bring to future resource development in the state and country. "Mining provides some of the best paying jobs in the state," said Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy. "Jobs that have never been needed more for Alaskan families to survive record price...
The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority May 25 announced that it has submitted an application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the 404 permit to build the proposed West Susitna Access Road, which would extend into resource-rich areas west of Cook Inlet in Southcentral Alaska. "Today marks the beginning of the process to evaluate an access route to unlock opportunities in the fastest-growing region of the state," said AIDEA Executive Director Alan...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (May 10, 2022) – "We truly have a bright future for mining in the state if we are allowed to pursue it," was the message Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy delivered to the more than 250 people that gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Alaska Mining Day. While commemorating the intrepid pioneers that first ventured North in pursuit of Alaska's rich mineral potential and celebrating the mining's current contributions to the state's economy, Dunleavy said t...
While hailing President Joe Biden's use of the Defense Production Act to bolster domestic production of critical lithium-ion battery minerals and metals as good news for the Far North State's mining sector, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy says this move contradicts actions taken by the administration to reevaluate a road to the Ambler Mining District. "I fully support the President making the development of these minerals a priority in our nation's interest. But the Biden...
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is leveraging its control over federal land along the Dalton Highway corridor to throw up a roadblock on the proposed industrial access to Alaska's Ambler Mining District. On March 11, BLM notified the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority that it has suspended a previously issued 50-year right-of-way that covers 25 miles of the proposed 211-mile road connecting the Ambler District to Alaska's highway system. Despite the receipt... Full story
In a move criticized by a wide swath of Alaska policymakers and trade organizations, the Biden administration has filed a motion to reverse the federal authorizations for a proposed 211-mile road to the mineral-rich Ambler Mining District in Northwest Alaska. "You would think President Biden would want to improve access to American sources of copper and other strategic minerals that are needed in our combined efforts to increase renewables. Instead, actions like this only...
Alaska once again finds itself joining other states in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rein in a broadened definition of "waters of the United States," or WOTUS, a federal environmental rule that could significantly impact the management of private and public property across the Last Frontier. WOTUS has been a concern for Alaska and many other states since the Obama administration set out to broaden the definition of U.S. waters in 2014, a move that would significantly...
The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority Oct. 27 announced the receipt of $8.5 million in funds for the advancement of predevelopment work for the West Susitna Access Road project, which would extend into resource-rich areas west of Cook Inlet in Southcentral Alaska. "Investing in access projects creates the infrastructure necessary to bring natural resources to market, which creates good-paying jobs for Alaskan families and generates local tax revenue that...
GIL-SOURDOUGH – With a Sept. 23 blast of explosives that fractured rock in preparation for the start of mining at Gil-Sourdough, Kinross Gold Corp. has raised the bar for mine openings with a literal groundbreaking ceremony at what is now the sixth large-scale metal mine in Alaska. "I hope this is just the beginning and there are a lot more plays like this and we have a future, not just here at Fort Knox but across the great state of Alaska," Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said t...
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy highlighted the importance of cooperation between Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) corporations and their shareholders, state organizations, and mining companies during a recent visit to the Ambler Mining District in Northwest Alaska. "Collaboration begins with trust," he said. "When we work together and develop our state's resources responsibly, we can achieve incredible outcomes for all Alaskans." Having spent nearly two decades as a...
The Environmental Protection Agency Sept. 9 announced its intention to reinitiate the process of making a Clean Water Act Section 404(c) determination to protect certain waters in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska. Providing such a determination is finalized, it would purportedly protect waters that are essential to commercial, subsistence, and recreational fisheries. Such stringent protections, however, would make advancing the nearby Pebble mine nearly impossible.... Full story
From reinstating the Roadless Rule in the Tongass Forest to replacing the General Mining Law of 1872, federal regulations being proposed by President Joe Biden threaten to rain on a parade of strong metals prices, growing demand for critical minerals, and robust investments into mineral exploration and mining across Alaska. "We recommend Congress develop legislation to replace outdated mining laws including the General Mining Law (GML) of 1872 governing locatable minerals...
Alaska contains minerals essential to the national defense, renewable energy and electronics industries. Finding those minerals, however, can be difficult in such a vast and geologically challenging state. Hyperspectral imagery can help as Alaska's summer exploration season approaches. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute has the only hyperspectral imaging facility in the state at its Hyperspectral Imaging Laboratory created in 2014 as the brainchild of... Full story
From a world-class graphite deposit in the Northwest to rare earths on the Southeast Panhandle, Alaska has the potential to offer a sustainable and secure supply to meet the coming explosive demand for the minerals and metals crucial to the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors in North America and around the globe. International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, estimates that this shift to low-carbon energy and electric mobility will create nearly... Full story
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority have signed documents that provide a 50-year right-of-way across federal lands for the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Road. "This right-of-way is the culmination of years of research, planning, and collaboration," said AIDEA Executive Director Alan Weitzner. "The signing of this permit is a major milestone. It's the first step in a multi-year phase of...
Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority Feb. 10 announced that its board has approved a long-term agreement with Ambler Metals LLC to share up to $70 million of the predevelopment costs for a proposed road to the Ambler Mining District in Northwest Alaska. "This is another example of AIDEA's role in establishing public-private partnerships supporting responsible development of Alaska's natural resources," said AIDEA Chairman Dana Pruhs. Such partnerships are the...
