Alaska Minerals Commission Highlights 2022 Priorities
The Alaska Minerals Commission recently released its 2022 report of Alaska Mineral Priorities. The 11-member Commission (AMC) serves in an advisory capacity to the Governor and the Alaska State Legislature. Five members are appointed by the Governor (one of whom must reside in a rural community), three members are appointed by the President of the Senate, and three members are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Commission’s role is to recommend strategies to mitigate constraints on mineral development in Alaska. For more than 30 years, the AMC has worked with the State of Alaska and the Alaska State Legislature to successfully implement key recommendations that support a strong and sustainable Alaska minerals industry. This report builds upon past work with the intent to identify state and federal issues that can block responsible development. For 2022, the AMC identified a number of priorities which we are reprint below: Top Priority: Continue to defend and promote the minerals and mining industry in Alaska. Alaska is well-known for its excellent geologic potential. In the past, the State of Alaska’s reputation as a hospitable location for investment has suffered from inconsistent support for mineral resource development by State of Alaska leadership. This changed when Governor Dunleavy, Commissioner Feige, Commissioner Brune, Commissioner Vincent Lang, and Chief Policy Director Huber started attending and promoting Alaska at mining conventions. The AMC wants to give a special thank you to the Governor and the State of Alaska for defending and promoting the minerals and mining industry in Alaska. The Commission encourages the Governor’s administration and the Legislature to continue to work together into the future to ensure industry leaders in the United States and around the world know that mining and minerals development are welcome in Alaska. The clear, concise, and proactive communication to prospectors, family miners, small mining companies, major mining companies, and investors from the Governor’s administration and the Legislature have helped attract the mineral investment needed to develop Alaska’s future mines. Alaska is ranked fifth in the world for overall investment attractiveness by mining and exploration companies based on its geologic attractiveness and government policy towards exploration investment according to the Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies in 2020. Alaska was also ranked fifth out of 77 jurisdictions internationally for mineral potential, assuming a “best practices” policy regime.
Increased investment in minerals exploration and mining is essential to diversify the State of Alaska’s economic underpinnings. While “more than 190 million acres of federal, State of Alaska and Native-owned lands are open for minerals-related activities and mining,” the existence of a resource isn’t compelling enough on its own to bring outside business to Alaska. Attracting investment requires companies to have faith in the State of Alaska’s economic stability, reasonable regulatory environment, and ongoing support of the minerals industry at the highest levels of government. Recommendations: The Alaska Minerals Commission recommends the Governor’s administration and the Legislature continue to create a shared message to minerals and mining companies that investment in, and development of, Alaska’s mineral resources are welcome. The Commission further recommends continued and increasing levels of outreach by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner and the Governor’s administration to major mining companies and industry associations, defining the advantages of investing and exploring in Alaska and inviting these companies to explore and develop in the State of Alaska State Priorities: 1) Predictability of the State of Alaska permitting timeframes 2) Reallocate portions of the State of Alaska mining license tax to communities, while precluding targeted local severance taxes 3) Address key State of Alaska regulations governing water use 4) Support the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys 5) Modernize the online mineral claim staking and claim management system 6) Encourage the Governor’s administration to continue challenging ballot initiatives that seek to regulate natural resource development Federal Priorities: 1) Industry must have a clear path to wetland compensatory mitigation requirements 2) Advocate for a consistent definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) - 2021 3) Defend against federal overreach The complete report is available online at www. commerce.alaska.gov/web/Portals/4/pub/Alaska%20 Minerals%20Commission/2021%20Alaska%20 Minerals%20Commision%20Report%2020211229.pdf
Keeping Alaska Moving! Thank you to Lynden employees around the state for keeping Alaska’s supply chains operating as usual, during a very unusual year. Your dedication, flexibility, and ingenuity was critical to ensuring fellow Alaskans had the essential supplies they needed, when they needed them. We look forward to a great year ahead and will continue to provide multi-modal transportation and logistics solutions across all of Alaska, from Ketchikan to Kaktovik!
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March 2022 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I March 2022
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