A Message from the Executive Director
Dear Members, Now into September, field seasons are winding down and election season is fully underway. The Aug. 18 primary election results brought some upsets, if you’ll pardon the sports analogy, in which longtime legislators lost their reelections and new candidates emerged. The results of the Nov. 3 general election stand to greatly alter the landscape of the Alaska Legislature one way or another. One thing is for sure, there will be a lot of new faces to introduce ourselves to. I’m taking most of this column to thank the following individuals for their outstanding service to Alaska and support of Alaska’s miners: Sen. John Coghill, who for longer than I can remember, has championed policies that
across the finish line in the waning days of the session recessed for COVID-19. Rep. Chuck Kopp, a commercial fisherman who insisted that resource industries coexist and dismissed claims alleging otherwise. A quote from his op-ed late last year discussing concerns about the mining industry in Alaska: “It seems much of the angst is based on either a perceived favorable bias of the regulatory system toward industry, a bias against natural resource extraction in general or a zero- sum game view that says you must “trade one resource for another” which precludes the possibility of success for more than one resource.” And, “Alaska is a paragon for the world because of our long history of mining, oil and gas industries co-existing
support economic development to better Alaska. He didn’t just make this a platform – he made it his mission to know every technical detail down to the citation in law or regulation of whatever issue was being contemplated to inform his decisions. I loved that you could sit down with him on a complex issue and not have to take 30 minutes explaining the background because he had researched it himself (and more often than not knew it better). Senator Coghill led efforts to better policies like wetlands mitigation, reasonable water regulations, litigation reform, and so much more. Sen. Cathy Giessel received AMA’s first Legislator of the Year Award. A nurse by training, she dove headfirst into the complex issues that faced Legislators at the time of her first election. She did this by attending every possible educational opportunity offered by industry organizations and always asking the hard questions to get to a full understanding. I remain amazed at her constant pursuit of information to ensure she was equipped to debate the merits of proposals in committee and on the Senate Floor. You’ll recall she led efforts to establish Alaska Mining Day, enroll Alaska as a member of the Interstate Mining Compact Commission, and consistently authored letters to ensure the integrity of the permitting process. Rep. Jennifer Johnston endeared me at our first meeting by saying, “Look, I’m an education gal, but Chris Birch told me how important mining is so I need to learn more.” Since that day she consistently sought answers on how mining can play a role in Alaska’s economy. This past session, she ensured that SB155, the mineral tenure bill, received the necessary hearings in House Finance to move the bill
with fisheries, wildlife and other habitat users. Today, you can’t find better regulated, higher performing resource extraction industries anywhere in the world.” Rep. Kopp sponsored Tier 3 waters legislation, which put him in a hotbed of controversy, but he continued to remind the public about the strength of our regulatory process and the coexistence of resources to grow Alaska’s opportunities. I know Alaskans came down on both sides of these political races for various reasons, but we can unequivocally say these individuals had Alaska’s miners at heart throughout their state service, and we certainly owe them our gratitude. THANK YOU. In addition, Reps. John Lincoln, Colleen Sullivan-Leonard and Dave Talerico retired from their offices and did not run for reelection in 2020. Like the others, these folks recognized the contributions and value of mining in Alaska, and we’re so grateful for their service. Enjoy your well-deserved “retirement!” The primary election demonstrated what we’ve all said for so long: elections matter! Please, ensure you are informed and engaged on critical issues facing Alaska and get out and vote on Nov. 3. Be well,
Deantha Skibinski, Executive Director
Executive Board Bill Jeffress, President SRK Consulting, Anchorage Bartly Kleven, First Vice President Kinross-Fort Knox, Fairbanks Lorali Simon, Second Vice President Kim Aasand, Treasurer Aasand & Glore LLC, Anchorage
Branch Chairmen Ted Hawley, Anchorage Lorali Simon, Denali Mark Huffington, Fairbanks
The Alaska Miner is the official journal of the Alaska Miners Association, published eight times a year exclusively to our members.
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September 2020 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
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