direct conflict with the Biden Administration’s own imperatives to improve the production of critical minerals in the U.S., instead of relying on sources from adversarial nations. It defies logic, but if anything, that makes it all the more threatening. So, you might say we're wearing two hats — one spreading good news and the other fighting off the bad. We try every summer in this magazine to also give you a glimpse of some of your fellow members in the industry who do a world-class job every day developing our resources, taking care of each other and protecting Alaskans and the environment. I will confess, I always get both awestruck and a bit emotional when I see and read their stories, and appreciate how lucky we are to have the people we do in this industry. The work continues. This month we’ll be starting our regular branch meetings again, leading up to November’s annual convention. I hope to see you there soon! Deantha Skibinski AMA Executive Director Dear Alaska Miners, What a summer! At first, we weren’t even sure we’d see a summer! And when it did finally arrive, it was mixed with a storm of challenges to our industry, which frankly kept us from enjoying the beautiful days, lots of salmon and some great pro-mining events all over the state. As you'll see in the pages of this issue of the Alaska Miner, and many social media posts, we've been everywhere! We've had many opportunities at the several state fairs to spread the good news about Alaska mining and meet face-to-face with the Alaskan communities we serve. It is heartwarming and gratifying to meet regular Alaska families who understand and appreciate what you do, who realize that iPhones and most other conveniences and necessities of modern life don’t run on fairy dust but require minerals like those we mine every day in Alaska. We also, in concert with AK Metal Mines (formerly known as the Council of Alaska Producers) had the great privilege of providing tours for many of our Alaska legislators and their staffs, to three of our interior Alaska mines. And a huge thanks to all the great people at Kinross Alaska (Fort Knox Mine), Northern Star Resources (Pogo Mine) and Usibelli Coal Mine for welcoming our elected officials and for helping showcase their mines, people and safety standards. For our representatives to act wisely on issues related to mining, it’s critical they see firsthand who we are and what we do. That was the fun part. Not as much fun, we've also spent literally hundreds of hours drafting comments in defense of Alaska mining and you against the newest round of federal attempts to make our job harder. As you'll see also in this magazine, your federal oversight committee and your Board of Directors crafted extensive responses and comments to the nearest attempt by the Bureau of Land Management to change the rules for mining nationwide, with particularly onerous impacts on Alaska and Alaskans. Starting on Page 8, you'll see a condensed version of more than 10,000 words in response to the new BLM proposals, which are nothing less than a bureaucratic end run around Congress, existing mining law and the sacred rights granted Alaska Natives through ANILCA. All under the guise of attempting to fix problems and perceived threats that don’t exist. And in Executive Director’s Report Summer 2023 The Alaska Miner 1
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