The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Sorted by date Results 1 - 8 of 8
Coal is an abundant and readily available solution to the high cost of energy, the bane of operating mines, minerals development projects and residents in Interior Alaska, according to the Alaska Minerals Commission. "We always hear about (natural) gas and we always hear about oil, but one of the things that has been taking the back seat is coal," Alaska Minerals Commission Chairman Bill Jeffries informed Alaska legislators during a Feb. 5 presentation. The minerals...
The over-all mood at the recent Cordilleran Roundup mining convention in Vancouver, B.C. was more restrained than in previous years, but also more realistic due in large part to the prolonged downturn in risk capital mining markets. It seems the industry has transitioned from the denial stage accompanying the declines of 2013 to an acceptance and determination stage that always precedes a return to market vitality. In a recent public release by financial giant Ernst and...
Although in my judgment it is premature for little green people to write the obituary of the Pebble Project, undoubtedly it is high-centered for the nonce, (however long a nonce may be); but that shouldn't prevent us from reflecting on some of the silly arguments that have been made against the project. Undoubtedly, the greatest success in that regard was the implication that somehow the project, if it evolved into a mine, would somehow make fish in Bristol Bay die. The outspoken proponents of that point of view, generally sp...
Due to its isolation in the far reaches of Western Alaska, Graphite Creek has long been regarded as an enormous deposit of an industrial mineral with little value. Today, however, graphite has been elevated to the status of a technology mineral and the once-secluded deposit sits on the threshold of the burgeoning Arctic shipping lanes that promise to dramatically reduce the transport time between Europe and Pacific ports. With demand on the rise and access to Graphite Creek...
The Government of Yukon released a final land use plan for the Peel River Watershed region Jan. 21, sparking sharp criticism in recent weeks from the major stakeholders in the agreement and at least one appeal. In unveiling the plan, Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski touted the "balanced approach" the government took to protect the natural environment while respecting all sectors of the territory's economy. Roughly the size of Ireland, the Peel River Watershed sprawls over 77,000 square kilometers (30,000 square miles) of...
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark ordered a review of the Canadian province's environmental assessment process in January, saying the current system has become too cumbersome. Clark provided few details when she announced the initiative at the Mineral Exploration Roundup in Vancouver Jan. 27. She said environmental reviews of major projects are crucial, and while the current process is rigorous and transparent, the B.C. environmental assessment office can "do better." "In my view, it is better to do the hard and...
Despite a surge in economic activity in recent years, Nunavut still has considerable work to do for its residents to achieve prosperity. That's the conclusion of the 2013 Nunavut Economic Outlook, a report based on research conducted by Impact Economics on behalf of the Nunavut Economic Forum last summer and fall. The forum released the 98-page report at the North Lights Trade Show in Ottawa in January. Subtitled "Nunavut's Next Challenge: Turning Growth into Prosperity," it details recent socioeconomic developments in the...
Contango ORE Inc. co-founder Brad Juneau ventured to Alaska seeking natural gas; today, his Texas-based company is sitting on a gold-copper-silver deposit at its Tetlin project with an initial 1.1 million-ounce gold-equivalent resource and a 760,000-acre land package with enough "blue sky" potential to keep a mineral exploration company busy for decades. Following five years of systematic exploration, Contango ORE Jan. 23 reported an indicated resource of 5.97 million metric...
