By SHANE LASLEY / NORTH OF 60 MINING NEWS
The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act brightens an otherwise gloomy outlook when it comes to federal policies that impact Alaska and its mining sector.
“I believe this is truly historic for our state,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said during a Nov. 17 address at the Alaska Resources Conference.
While the massive infrastructure bill passage was chalked up as a political win for President Joe Biden, the billions of dollars to be invested into upgrading and expanding Alaska’s sparse infrastructure will have an outsized impact on a state rightfully considered America’s Last Frontier.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, pointed out that Alaska has fewer road miles than Connecticut, a state about 120 times smaller.
“We are a resource-rich, infrastructure-poor state,” he said during the annual conference hosted by the Resource Development Council of Alaska.
This is why Alaska’s entire congressional delegation, all Republicans, as well as civic and political leaders across the 49th State, got behind the bipartisan legislation.
“It’s going to be a lot of money … billions of dollars to construct and modernize our roads, our bridges, our ports, our airports,” said Murkowski. “It’s not just going to be the opportunity for better roads, but to see more of them.”
More roads could help make Alaska’s rich mineral resources more competitive.
“It is often said that if Alaska’s impressive mineral deposits were in the state of Nevada, with infrastructure like roads, ports, and energy grids, they would already be mines,” said Alaska Miners Association Executive Director Deantha Skibinski. “We’re pleased that the infrastructure package includes significant investment in building Alaska, which will make investment in resource development more attractive.”
For Alaska’s mining sector, however, provisions to streamline the federal mine permitting process may be even more important than the massive investments into roads, rails, ports, airports, and other infrastructure that will be built from the minerals and metals these mines could supply.
“The federal agencies are going to have a responsibility and a requirement to start issuing permits more efficiently and with less delay,” said Murkowski.
Alaska’s senior senator pushed back on the notion that the infrastructure bill is a bad thing because it is being chalked up as a win for the Biden administration.
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Our group of 3 traitors gave Biden his Marxist win, restricts more of our freedoms, destroys old people’s savings with more inflation, and saddles our children with another massive debt!
They gave away the farm for 4/10 of 1%! But a little better condition for mines!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Wow, I did not realize that part of the (so-called) “Infrastructure Bill” was a provision to fund the re-starting of mining at Kennecott. Better re-lay all those railroad tracks to Cordova!
That is just a file photo of generic mining, Jefferson. 😀 – sd
Just yankin’ your chain, Suzanne!
.
That’s about the worst in the way of criticism that I can send your way, with all the excellent work — and REAL journalism (Millenials say, “what’s that?) that you do here with MRAK.
She does do a great job!!
It is awesome to have an interactive journalistic source that MRAK is, with humor and human interaction with the owner/editor.
You are breaking trail, Suzanne – in the best of journalistic ways!
To borrow an expression, what a pant load.
BBB is a poison pill for America, especially Alaska. The Princess supports it, so obviously it’s a left of center Christmas list.
Is it possible we might get new roads? Sure. So is a meteor strike in Potters Marsh that leads to a new oil field. Probability? A whole different ballgame.
Even IF we get new roads, Biden Admin is determined to shut down resource development nationwide. And drive up the cost of gas to obscene levels. So yeah, you MIGHT get a new road or two. That no one can afford to drive and with no raw material to export.
The only prayer the nation has is it dying in reconciliation. But that requires Republicans to actually do as promised and act on principle.
The Biden administration continues to support the Ambler road. The department of the interior has continued to process permits to allow for construction to start in 2024.
Maybe commenters here should read the June 8,2021 fact sheet put out by the Biden administration. One goal is to secure an end to end domestic supply chain for advanced batteries. This involves domestic mining.
Maybe some commenters here (and our legislators) should have read the 2,700 page Broke Back Better bill put out by the Biden administration, before selling Alaskan’s freedom and personal liberty for a few more buckets of federal money………
This is a great example of why all of the RINOs will get elected in perpetuity. They can direct some federal pork to their constituents, and the constituents will accept the money in exchange for a vote
Who are these folks kidding? I mean we couldn’t get a 10 mile road in between King Cove and Cold Bay.
Do these people really think the current administration is going to allow them to mine or develop any of our natural resources? Of course the Sealaska Tribes’ land deal might enable development like the timber cutting on Kodiak in Tongass.
What are our three elected officials doing about the existing lease issues?
Wonder if there is a way to track the fraud this Act will create?
It’s Time Alaska…
Alaska is and always has been a place where “infrastructure” is sufficient to make Alaska unique among all the “infrastructure” rich states everywhere else. Alaska is being sold to the left by our “representative” politicians. Those ‘billions’ coming from the Biden gang are nothing but a scam created by printing ‘money’ that can be seen evaporating in value every time we go to the store. This entire maneuver by politicians trying to excuse their way out of the true political actions recently perpetrated on Alaskans has a name. It’s called ‘sophistry’. A fancy word that means the ‘art’ of convincing others that all is true when it’s not, and to many, it has developed into an art form. Lying sounds too pedestrian to the left. They practice their sophistry on us peons daily.
They will strip mine everyone’s wallets
Oh you mean like unfinished and un-used rail lines to PT Mac? Like that project? Just more wasted money that will line lawyers pockets as they fight with the EPA, DNR, and whomever else will hold up any and all projects.
This is how you buy votes. With your great grandchildren’s money. But you will only get 10 cents back on the dollar. There are a lot of 20 acre horse ranches and town houses in the greater tri-state area to be paid for. Dachas, I believe they call them.
Chris,
As you know, EAT advocated for, was happy and excited to get funding for a hovercraft as its solution to address the critical transportation needs for emergency response.
However. I also do not trust any government agency to do anything when there is less personal risk and a more self-preservation mindset by some or perhaps even many government employees by simply saying no, or stalling, or backdoor sabotaging projects.
And I also agree with the person who posted about the Point Warnsoff debacle.
Attorneys do make bank because of conflict. Conflict simply is the foundation of that particular industry’s business model.
Business leaders need to take legal advise for what it is.
Advise.
Oftentimes, lawyers are relied on by executives to make the business calls for a multitude of possible reasons.
Executives can be:
Spread too thin and have too many irons in the fire,
lack confidence,
find comfort in displacing their own business judgement decision at the lawyers feet,
over their head,
are under capitalized to hire the best and right-sized team.
Any, some, or all those issues can then lead to
being overly-reliant on a legal firm which has a separate business mission, goals, and performance measurements to achieve.
If I hadn’t failed in my own leadership journey, I would not have gone back to get a MBA.
And I would have continued to perpetuate some of those factors I raise here.
So, I am not pointing fingers or judging.
But there is another responsible participant in this paradigm that has so much influence, power, and opportunity to motivate, educate, and hold government agencies accountable in carrying out the will of the people.
And that is us, the People.
I love reading, debating, learning and participating in the MRAK forum.
Because beyond journalism, Suzanne has effectively created a “town hall” environment for discussion.
We can build upon that and continue to evolve the braintrust she founded.
That does not mean in any way that everyone has to agree on everything.
Which is the beauty MRAK.
But there are some overarching themes that seem to weave throughout the comments that have some common threading.
I see a few and please be gentle because I know I can be completely off base here. But here goes:
Out of control budget requests.
Lack of administration commitment to right-size government.
Significant lack of trust in government and elected officials.
Skepticism of EACH OTHER as citizens because our collective habit of categorizing ourselves into segments by population, groups, geography, race, gender, etc.
Effectively, we are “dividing and conquering” ourselves.
But there are things we can do collectively to make sure every employee in Government knows we are participating, asserting ourselves, and watching their actions or inactions.
If we commit to spend the time and effort in doing that, we are then doing our part to see that the execution of legislation is being carried out to our satisfaction.
And the thing is, the execution responsibility of much legislation is in the hands of government employees.
Governmental employees need to know that they no longer get to hide behind elected officials and that they will be held out and accountability will be demanded.
As citizens, we have more opportunity to voice our opinion than just showing up to vote.
Not to minimize that civic duty..
Roads and bridges to somewhere, Especially in Alaska, will be studied to death first. It’s the same old dog and pony show. Throw money at it… Lot’s of green!!…get temporarily excited, then watch the monies go to all the environmental study groups ( like foreverrrr) which are an arm of Biden’s *cough* build back better B.S. Actually, BBB (when you dig deeper) is a UN takeover of all we hold dear…Sovereignty.
This 11% ‘win’ of this massive infrastructure bill could very well be the noose around our proverbial necks. Politicians could have solved our problems long ago. But in order keep their re-election coffer full, they have to dangle a carrot. Only this one isn’t a Diamond waiting to be discovered.
Infrastructure bill great news for Alaska and the nation. Proud of the Alaska delegation for getting behind this sensible, forward thinking law. It will serve Alaska and our economy for decades to come!
So you’re the one.
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