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

Alaska is different - it has moose hunters on hovercrafts, many large national parks, and certain unique federal laws. On March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that National Park... — Updated 9/25/2020 Full story

As almost everyone knows, if you want to do something, anything at all, in our deeply-regulated society you have to take your hat in your hand, bow deeply before the local personification of the... — Updated 9/25/2020 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. The major... — Updated 9/24/2020 Full story

If anyone has not yet read Mike Satre’s excellent editorial in the October 2019 edition of the Alaska Miner magazine they should stop what they are doing right now and read what he has to say. Mike... — Updated 8/14/2020

Alaska, like Canada to the east and Russia to the west, is well known for its elephantine mineral deposits. Recognition of those deposits surfaces regularly. Sometimes they are characterized by... — Updated 9/26/2019 Full story

It is no secret that much of the western United States was built on the back of natural resources found on federal land or within adjacent federal waters. Likewise, it is no secret that prior to... — Updated 9/6/2019

One of the highlights of my July each year is attending the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute because mining lawyers and landmen from across the continent gather to hear presentations of... — Updated 7/25/2019 Full story

One does not have to be a septuagenarian to recall how things were before Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act into law. Whole industries used the commons for the disposal... — Updated 6/27/2019 Full story

It is difficult not to be optimistic about the future of the mining industry in Alaska these days. Although the industry is still No. 2 – as compared to oil and gas – it remains lucrative, safe and... — Updated 5/30/2019 Full story

I know that it is a perennial hazard for those of us who follow the mining industry to be optimistic in the Spring every year; but, somehow, I don't seem to be able to contain myself this year. My... — Updated 5/24/2019 Full story

I don't really know how much it has cost John Sturgeon to go to the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) twice in order to vindicate his right to use a hovercraft to go hunting on the Nation River,... — Updated 4/12/2019 Full story

Despite over four decades of working with the mining industry in Alaska, my travels rarely brought me to the northwest part of the state and my opportunities to interface with residents have been em... — Updated 2/28/2019 Full story

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 House... — Updated 1/24/2019 Full story

Earlier this month the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced that they were proposing “a clear, understandable, and implementable definition of t... — Updated 12/27/2018 Full story

Whilst the mining industry continues to shift on several levels, mineral exploration is still very much needed in determining where new mineral deposits are located. Technology has helped mineral... — Updated 12/14/2018 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 of... — 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 the pur... — 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 the bu... — 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 decision... — Updated 9/7/2018 Full story

About 26 months ago, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources announced its intention to modify the regulations concerning the location of mining claims on state land. The process of amending... — Updated 7/26/2018 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 cross-wise with... — 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 school, I was t... — 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 those... — 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 changes did... — Updated 2/22/2018 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 Alaska... — Updated 12/24/2017