Governor Recognizes Importance of AMA, Mining Industry
Speaking to more than 50 Alaska miners and Alaska Miners Association and Department of Natural Resources staff, Gov. Mike Dunleavy celebrated Alaska Mining Day on May 10 online in keeping with COVID-19 pandemic distancing guidelines. Here is a recap of the governor’s comments: “Mining is the basis for everything. “First of all, it is a bizarre world we live in. We are making our way out of this and we are going to be opening up the economy. “Mining has always been viewed as essential, and it should be. Mining is what underpins this entire civilization. And where we are going. “Thank you to everyone for being part of this, what is an extremely important industry. “I know there are times that members of society give mining a bad rap even though they live a life supported by mining ... that is the irony of the whole thing. But it is going to be mining that gets us out of where we are today and where we are going to go. Because the future of society, of civilization is really based upon mining. “If you listen to Tesla speak, listen to the tech world, it is all mining. “I’m proud to be part of a mining background, a mining tradition. I came from Scranton, Pa., which was coal mining. Yesterday my middle daughter went up to Red Dog. She has an internship again. “My eldest daughter you know works up there as a buyer. And my youngest daughter is going up in June, also working at Red Dog again this summer. These are tremendous jobs that pay well. “What is fascinating at least as regards my kids and probably many others — you get mining in your blood. You like to do it; you want to do it. It is a culture and a lifestyle like no other. “I want to thank everybody for what you do, for your jobs you do to support society. “You know we had a great conference I attended in Vancouver before the pandemic hit. I was
honored to go down there as governor to talk to miners, mining companies and investors from all over the world because I think Alaska is a world- class mining destination. “And I want to do whatever I can to make it more so with your help. “You’ve helped put Alaska on the map and I want to make it a destination like no other as we move into the future. “This pandemic has slowed us down a bit but has given us time to look out and think about what we want the world to look like and mining again is going to be the basis for this. I want to thank you for that. “We just had a bit of a gathering with DNR because we just moved forward Click Bishop’s bill that helps miners and helps with that process. As I told people, this is actually one place where government can help people and help with their lives. So, I was proud to be a part of that even though I had a small part in SB155. “I want to thank Senator Bishop. He is a miner and understands it. You know, Click is an interesting guy. He is an Alaskan. His father was a builder, a construction man. Click has been a blue-collar guy his whole life. He does his own mining, so he understands mining and lives mining, and I want to thank him as we move forward. “We have tremendous finds in Alaska and we have tremendous opportunity in Alaska. And as long as I’m governor, I’m going to do what it takes to keep Alaska on the map; everything I can to ensure your livelihood, your jobs, our culture, even in the face of these folks who like to protest or otherwise stop what we’re doing, even when using things based on mining and minerals equipment. “I think common sense will rule and mining will remain a cornerstone of our civilization as it has been for thousands of years and going way into the future. “I want to thank each of you for what you are doing and wish you a happy mining day May 10. We are going to see better days ahead of us.”
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I June 2020
11
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease