President’s Message From Bill Jeffress
Our knowledge must be shared far and wide
“All of us, as members of the mining community and representatives of resource development, need to do a better job communicating the issues that affect our everyday lives in Alaska and our nation.” S ay goodbye to half of 2021. It’s hard to fathom the issues and changes since the beginning of this year. Pandemic
Federal Areas (CACFA)] n Senate Bill 23, Initiative Severability, Instream Flow Reservations (IFR). Our lack of success with legislation this past session was overshadowed by the ongoing struggle with the state budget and recovering from the pandemic. Now we need to regroup for another try next year. What became very apparent during the Legislature and with the ongoing federal uncertainty, is how these issues do not affect just resource development industries. Local businesses, municipalities, and villages are all affected when legislation, regulations, or policies that impede or thwart land use or resource development. Diminished subsistence opportunities, lost jobs and diminished revenue to local communities are what will crater any potential for future growth and a sustainable economy. For too long the news media has characterized the mining, oil and gas, timber, tourism, and seafood industries as the only ones promoting or opposing certain legislation or voter initiatives. The reality is workers in these industries and informed citizens of Alaska realize what is best for Alaska businesses, our environment and what some of the unintended consequences would do to our lifestyle and economy. Alaska resource industries have been so focused on our immediate issues that we sometimes forget that these issues impact a broader audience. All of us, as members of the mining community and representatives of resource development, need to do a better job communicating the issues that affect our everyday lives in Alaska and our nation. That means bringing other voices to the table to
continued, protest and insurrection at the Capital, COVID-19 vaccinations, flurry of Executive Orders, escalating prices on lumber, building material, and fuel, and more uncertainty with federal regulations. Amid all this “stuff” that is going on you have Alaska industries trying to survive. Whether its mining, timber, oil and gas, seafood, or municipalities, everyone has been and still are trying to figure out the safe course to ensure a productive future. Even the federal regulatory agencies are waiting for the “dust to settle” with the new administration and the apparent constant changes in reinterpretation of previously implemented policy. Next in the mix are the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that continue to stir the pot with another proposed initiative to limit the number and size of cruise ships visiting Alaska right on the heels of the biggest hit the tourist industry has suffered in decades. Even with the uncertainty regarding new policies with the Biden Administration, the resource development industries continue to work with the legislature and state resource agencies to affect changes based on science, sound engineering, and common sense that are long overdue such as: n Senate Bill, 155 the Mineral Tenure legislation passed in 2020, new proposed regulation to enact the provisions of the Mineral Tenure legislation, n Senate Bill 101, Advisory Commission on Federal Management Areas [Citizen Advisory Commission on
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The Alaska Miner
Summer 2021
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