New and Renewing Members
Update on Mineral Tenure Bill by Click Bishop
Alaska’s miners have encountered significant problems with our existing law on mineral tenure, Title 38 of the Alaska Land Act, Article 8, Mining Rights. Sen. Click Bishop’s introduction of Senate Bill 155, an Act relating to exploration and mining rights, has a good chance to resolve those in this legislative session. Both placer miners and large commercial operators have received notices of abandoned claims arising from unclear statutory language regarding affidavits of labor and locator qualification requirements. Some miners have spent thousands of dollars to resolve issues with DNR or have even lost their state mining claims from simply making a minor mistake or clerical error. AMA has worked with DNR for over four years on these issues. This bill is a product of hours and hours of collaboration and deliberation between industry and agency, and attention by Senator Bishop, a miner himself, to develop a solution that will streamline administrative processes, reduce conflicts between miners and reduce conflicts between miners and DNR. SB155 will: 1. Update types of entities (LLCs, trusts and others) that can hold claims and provide curative mechanism for qualification defects. 2. Clarify that a MTRSC location establishes mineral rights to all land open and available within the location. This is the
interpretation that has worked effectively for both industry and the state for 20 years. 3. Resolve issues with Annual Labor including: n Putting labor affidavit requirements clearly in statute n Requiring DNR to first send a notice of an opportunity to cure clerical errors prior to sending a notice of abandonment. This includes notification to claim holder provision and 90 days in which claim holder can correct errors n Updateing list of examples for qualifying work and provides that cash payment can be made for no more than five years 4. Provide more certainty to improve opportunity to convert to state claims. SB155 does not impose more work to state agencies, including DNR, or on miners. Nor does it regulate environmental aspects of mining operations. Claim holders should remain engaged in this issue by submitting letters in support and provide testimony when we prompt you. Personal stories from experience help to educate all Alaskans on this highly technical and critical issue. You can provide your thoughts by emailing the Senate Resources Committee staff lead Konrad Jackson at konrad. jackson@akleg.gov and staff to the bill sponsor, Senator Bishop or Darwin Peterson at darwin.peterson@akleg.gov.
Thank you to all the AMA corporate and individual members who joined or renewed their membership to the association in January. You make AMA possible! Corporations AIDEA Alaska Aggregate Products LLC Aurora Geosciences (Alaska) Ltd. Bobcat of Juneau Carlile City of Ketchikan Carey Mills Benjamin Brooks Ronald Brooks Robert A Brozdowski David Butherus Roland Butler Thomas Byron Susan Hoshaw John Howe Kurt Hulteen Thomas & Sharon Irwin Mark Isto Gregory Johnson Scott Petsel Tom Pinder Bill Potter John Proffett Ron & Nancy Ralston
Professional Trey Acteson Carmen Arbizo Wescott Bott Thomas Bundtzen Steve Denton Chad Estes Theodore Evertz Doug Isaacson Michael Jungreis Alison Kelley Kristopher Knauss Richard Lessard Bob Loeffler Karen Matthias Kevin Olson David Parish Reg Ryan Scott Selzer Dra. Mirian Fernndez de Stang & Johncharles Stang Sarah Ward Desiree Wentland Individuals Mark Abrams James & Betty Adler Charlie Allen Trent Anderson
Matthew Reece Lance Roberts Jim Robinson Robert B Robinson Jim Robson Karsten Rodvik Norman Sather Suzanne Settle Dominic Shallies
Richard Caulfield Duncan Chessell James Cloud Jim Collord
Randy Johnson William Johnson
Coastal Helicopters Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) Cummins Sales & Service Denali Industrial Supply Inc. Everts Air Cargo Fairweather LLC Graymont Hyak Mining Company Ipop LLC Madison Lumber & Hardware Inc. Motion Industries, Inc. Northern Sonic Drilling and Consulting Northern Star (Pogo) LLC Perkins Coie LLP Petro Star/Sourdough Fuel PND Engineers Inc. Remote Made Easy (PSSA) Remote Site Services Inc. Resolution Minerals Ltd Royal Gold Inc. Soloy Helicopters LLC TOTE Maritime Alaska Inc.
Mary Jordan Jason Knoles Ray & Lee Ann Kreig Kathryn & Thomas Lamal Christine Lawley Alan Lebedoff Kenneth & Winona Lee Mark Levin PE K Wayne Livingstone James G & Lorna Lounsbury Aurora Lyman Icey Lyman Spencer & Carolyn Lyman E Neil MacKinnon Wendie MacNaughton Sally Marinucci Ingrid Martin Robert A Maynard Paul A & Marie Metz Clark R & Karen Milne John W Miscovich Duff W Mitchell Nick Morgan Yuri Morgan Robin Mullins & Tom Mortensen Tim & Jerilee Musgrove Steven Nye Ed Paradis Tyler Payment Michelle Pearson
Antwuan Cooks Richard Coose William (Bill) Corbus Carolyn A Curley Dan DeLauder Mikahla deVries-Paris David Dickason Jon W Dufendach Jim Duffield William P Dunlevy Mischa Ellanna Leslie Friedlob & Colby Engstrom Beau Epstein Liam Ferguson Eric Fjelstad Jeff Foley Richard Fuelling John & Galina Galey Emily Garcia Cathy Giessel Karl Gohlke Jared Hall Charles(Dick) & Robin Hammond Scott Hartman William (Ted) Hawley Chuck Heath David & Margaret Heatwole John Cook & Denise Herzog Vicky Hiltwein J.R. Hoback Penny Hobbie Robert B Hoekzema
Lorna Shaw Craig Smith Chris Soloy Sam Soloy
Scott V Spickler Andrew Spokely Mary P Stech Don Stevens Sigvald & Arlene Strandberg Gary Swoffer Jules Tileston
Arctic Trace ® Submersible Heat Trace Freeze Protection System "Inside the Pipe or Vessel" www.arctictrace.com (907) 522-3004 A pplications: Monitoring Wells Commercial Water Line Deep Well Tracing Gutter & Drain Waste & Vent Septic Tank & Sewer Outfall
We thrive on challenges
Bruce & Kathi Tweet Douglas & Vicki Tweet
Terry Umatum Janice Walker H Keith & Barbara Walters Terry Waschke Rob Wesselman James & Dorothy Wilson Michael Wilson
golder.com
Zach Baer R V Bailey Casey Bain
Rainer Trucking Inc. P.O. Box 72905 Fairbanks, AK 99707 EMAIL rainertruckinginc@yahoo.com PHONE (907) 457-2000 FAX (907) 455-4614
2 to 14 Axle Combinations Licensed & Bonded Lowboys
Legal Counsel - AK
Michael Barrera Milt & Lisa Behr Christopher Bell Brian Benson Frank Bergstrom John Bernal Jeff Boehm Steve Borell Robert Boyle Bonnie Broman
Flats Vans
Richard Worabel Robert Wozniak Birch & Melanie Yuknis Adam & Michelle Zenger Kirk & Katherine Zerkel
J.P. Tangen Attorney at Law (P.C.) P.O. Box 297 Hansville, WA 98340
Operator Daniel Clark Douglas M. & Kathleen Clark
Rainer Equipment Inc. 2552 Steese Hwy. Fairbanks, AK 99712 PHONE (907) 457-8109 FAX (907) 457-2014
Mining Salvage and Reclamation
(907) 222-3985 • Toll Free (877) 414-3985 jpt@jptangen.com • www.jptangen.com
Patricia Peirsol Larry Peterson
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March 2020 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
www.alaskaminers.org I The Alaska Miner I March 2020
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