State Issues of Concern for the Alaska Mining Industry f f g y These key issues must be kept in focus in 2019
E ach year, AMA leadership and the AMA State Oversight Committee TOPY_TQdVPdT^^`P^LʬPN_TYR_SPTY - dustry for the Alaska Legislature and Gov- ernor to use in developing legislation and regulatory focus during the coming year. Mineral Tenure Support needed statutory amendments to mining rights law, followed by coordi- nated regulatory revisions, that resolve the ^TRYTʭNLY_[]ZMWPX^TYNW`OTYRWZ^^ZQWLYO tenure, from minor mistakes and cleri- NLWP]]Z]^]PWL_TYR_ZLʯOLaT_^ZQWLMZ]LYO \`LWTʭNL_TZY^]P\`T]PXPY_^ {åŹķЃƒĞĻďƐDžžƒåķ =P^_Z]P LY PʯNTPY_ [P]XT__TYR []ZNP^^ LYONZYʭOPYNPTY,WL^VLɪ^bZ]WONWL^^[P] - mitting system by exploring innovative ap- []ZLNSP^_ZL__]LN_LYO]P_LTY\`LWTʭPO[P] - sonnel. Promote and defend the stringent laws and regulations that protect Alaska’s environment, and uphold this process to demonstrate that Alaska is again open for business. Water Policy Require that designation of Tier 3 waters can only be made by a vote of the Legisla- ture. Ensure the State of Alaska does not re- linquish its permitting authority to private entities, such as delegating management of the state’s water resources by approving TY^_]PLXʮZbbL_P]]P^P]aL_TZY^_Z[]TaL_P [L]_TP^,ʯ]X_SL_PcT^_TYRbL_P]\`LWT_d ]PR`WL_TZY^PY^`]PPYaT]ZYXPY_LWʭ^SLYO wildlife, and human health protections.
Equitable Local Taxation Ensure local taxes are broad based and equitable by amending state statues to pre- clude severance taxes on the metal mining industry. {åŹķЃƒĞĻďƐ{ŹŇÏåžž Require that water quality standards L]P^NTPY_TʭNLWWd^`[[Z]_LMWPLYOOPaPWZ[PO `^TYR^T_P^[PNTʭNN]T_P]TL0Y^`]PNZY_TY - ued availability of mixing zones. Ensure State coordination with federal regulatory agencies over Section 404 wet- lands permitting, mitigation, and manage- ment to ensure that projects have access to reasonable wetlands mitigation tools. Adamantly oppose federal encroach- ment on State’s rights, such as the use of preemptive federal actions and unnecessary permitting requirements. Oppose unwarranted Endangered Spe- cies Act listings and critical habit designa- tions in Alaska and ensure such decision are based on sound science. Oppose new policies that are designed to elevate one resource over another and recognize that existing policies have prov- en that Alaska mining projects successfully co-exist with the natural environment. X±ĻÚƐ¼ƐaĞĻåŹ±ĮƐa±Ļ±ďåķåĻƒ Resolve and process the backlog of appeals at the Department of Natural Re- sources (DNR). Maintain and defend State sovereignty over navigable waters as granted at Statehood. Require a thorough evaluation of min- eral potential and access prior to any State
The Alaska Miner
April 2019
56
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