Mining Lifts Alaska Economy During Pandemic
Mining and mineral exploration helped to bolster an Alaskan economy plagued by COVID-19 during 2020. According to a report prepared by the McKinley Research Group, a renowned Alaska-based research and consulting firm formerly known as McDowell Group, Alaska’s mining industry injected roughly $2 billion into the Alaska economy last year. Commissioned by the Alaska Miners Association and Council of Alaska Producers, “The economic benefits of Alaska’s mining industry” report found that the mining sector paid high wages to Alaskans living in more than 90 communities across the state, purchased goods and services from Alaskan business, flowed cash into Alaska Native corporations, and paid into state and local government coffers during the pandemic. “As a critical industry, our producing mines and projects implemented strict COVID-19 protocols to protect their workers and contractors, and keep community members safe. As a result, there were no significant production disruptions or worker layoffs; millions of dollars in payroll continued to be infused throughout many Alaska communities,” Alaska Miners Association penned in a statement announcing the release of the 2020 mining
industry economic report. U.S. Geological Survey calculates that Alaska mines produced roughly $3.2 billion worth of gold, silver, zinc, lead, sand, gravel, and rock during 2020. This does not account for the more than 800,000 tons of coal dug up at Usibelli Coal Mine operations near Healy and shipped to Interior Alaska heat and power plants. The roughly $2 billion of precious and base metals shipped out of Alaska last year accounted for approximately 38% of the state’s exports, based on 2019 export numbers. Healthy paychecks Alaska mining sector’s single largest contribution to the state’s economy is delivered via the healthy paychecks brought home by workers living in more than 90 villages, towns, and cities across The Great Land. Alaskan mines, development and mineral exploration projects paid roughly $542 million in wages to some 4,700 workers. This works out to be an average wage of $115,320 per year for people working directly in the sector, more than twice the $56,985 average wage across all Alaska industries last year. When you add in the indirect jobs, or workers who
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Spring 2021 I The Alaska Miner I www.alaskaminers.org
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