PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
providers and project teams all doing the work required to send people home safe. The Manh Choh transportation system has also put a public spotlight on safety planning, driver training, vehicle monitoring and winter-road disci- pline. In a state where distance, weather, darkness and ice are part of the operating environment, that kind of focus is not optional … it is mission critical. At Usibelli, Alaska’s only operating coal mine, generations of Interior Alaska families have built a long mining legacy tied directly to local power, heat, military installations, schools, hospitals, homes and businesses. At Fort Knox, Pogo, Kensington, Greens Creek, Red Dog and across our exploration camps, safety is not separate from production. It is how production is made possible. The national record tells the same story. MSHA recently reported that the U.S. mining industry reached an all-time low all-injury rate in 2025, at 1.74 reportable injuries per 200,000 hours worked. That progress did not happen by accident. It reflects years of investment in safer equipment,
better systems, stronger training, smarter enforce- ment and a workforce that understands produc- tion and safety are not competing priorities. That does not mean the job is finished. Alaska’s field season brings real risks: remote sites, avia- tion, river crossings, helicopters, weather, wildlife, heavy equipment, fatigue, camp life, long shifts and long days in challenging ground. The standard has to remain high. This summer, I want to thank every AMA member for advancing projects, producing minerals, sup- plying equipment, building roads, hauling freight, running camps, training crews, maintaining equip- ment and supporting Alaska’s mining economy. Let’s make this a productive season. Let’s make it a safe season. And let’s keep proving that Alaska mining honors its heritage by leading with safety. Dave Larimer AMA PRESIDENT
SAFETY, HERITAGE AND ALASKA MINING SEASON
Across the state, AMA members are back in the field, on the claims, at the drills, in the pits, underground, in the shops, in the labs, on the haul roads and across the support network that keeps Alaska mining moving. This is the season when geology turns into knowledge, knowledge turns into opportunity and opportunity turns into mines, jobs, investment and mineral production for Alaska and the nation. But none of that matters if we do not do it safely. Safety is not a slogan in this industry. It is a virtue, a discipline and a shared responsibility. It shows up in the morning safety meeting, the pre-op inspection, the buddy check, the clean work area, the properly maintained road, the radio call, the lockout-tagout procedure, the aviation plan, the bear briefing, the weather call and the decision to stop and reassess when conditions change. Alaska mining has always been hard work. From the early placer camps and drift mines of the Interior to today’s large mines, advanced exploration proj- ects, family placer operations, contractors, vendors and service companies, our industry has been built by people willing to do difficult work in difficult country. That heritage matters. The miners who came before us were tough, capable and deter- mined. They also worked in an era when many of the safety systems we now take for granted did not yet exist. That history is sobering. Early records from Alaska’s Territorial Mine Inspector reports, including acci- dent indexes from 1911 through 1936, document hundreds of serious and fatal mining accidents across the territory. Those names and incidents are more than statistics. They are a reminder that Alaska’s mining heritage was built by real people who took real risks, and too many paid the highest price. Modern safety expectations, including feder- ally enforceable mine safety and health standards, exist because the industry and the nation learned hard lessons over time. For responsible operators,
MSHA compliance should not be viewed simply as paperwork or bureaucracy. It is part of our license to operate, a core workforce protection and a key part of maintaining public credibility. Our responsibility is to honor that heritage not by accepting unnecessary risk, but by managing risk better than ever before. Today, Alaska has real examples to point to. Hecla Greens Creek has publicly emphasized that safety begins with quality people, strong training and leadership, and the mine has been recognized for technology-driven safety innovation. Greens Creek’s use of collision-avoidance technology is a good example of how modern mining applies practical tools to protect workers and improve operations. AMA’s own Hard Hat Safety Award has recognized strong safety leadership across the industry, including Donlin Gold, Black Gold Transport, Hecla Greens Creek, Lucky Shot Mine, Millrock Resources, Northern Star’s Pogo Mine and Kinross Fort Knox. Those awards matter because they reflect the full range of Alaska mining: operating mines, explo- ration companies, contractors, transportation "Alaska mining has always been hard work. From the early placer camps and drift mines of the Interior to today’s large mines, advanced explo- ration projects, family placer opera- tions, contractors, vendors and service companies, our industry has been built by people willing to do difficult work in difficult country. That heri - tage matters. The miners who came before us were tough, capable and determined. They also worked in an era when many of the safety systems we now take for granted did not yet exist."
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THE ALASKA MINER - THE MAGAZINE OF THE ALASKA MINERS ASSOCIATION
SUMMER 2026 | ALASKAMINERS.ORG
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