Background
In March 2022, Alaska Conservation Foundation hosted the Alaska Conference on Mining Impacts and Prevention – A Gathering of Land and Water Guardians. The conference brought together over 150 Indigenous leaders, community members, conservation advocates, and foundation representatives. After the conference, Alaska Conservation Foundation (ACF) heard from grassroots partners that there is a need and desire for ACF to play an ongoing supporting role in state-wide mining work. The following spring and summer, ACF designed a visioning process in which 57 individuals from 20 Alaskan communities, 38 organizations, 8 tribal affiliations, and 15 mining/advocacy focuses participated to help us imagine what that ongoing work should be. In October 2022, 25 individuals representing 17 Indigenous and conservation organizations met in person to refine the visioning process. Coming out of the October in-person meeting, ACF partners and individuals finalized the necessary pieces to form a charter and launch Alaska Mining Impacts Network.
What is the Network?
Alaska Mining Impacts Network establishes a convening space for conservation, tribal, and community leaders to create and share resources, build relationships, foster collaboration and strengthen advocacy efforts focused on the impacts of hardrock mining in Alaska.
- You can review the Alaska Mining Impacts Network Charter here.
- To join the Alaska Mining Impacts Network, please fill out the sign-up form here.
State Mining Policy Report
When discussing hardrock mining, The state of Alaska routinely makes bold claims that Alaska has “robust environmental laws” and has a “history of responsible resource development based on a robust permitting process.” Specifically, Governor Dunleavy has said: “Alaska has impressive geology and indeed some of the best mineral deposits in the world. I want to assure companies that we are open for business and that under my leadership, we are working to foster attractive policies that encourage mineral development while at the same time protecting the environment with some of the world’s most robust environmental protections. We take pride in that.”
Alaska Conservation Foundation has contracted the Environmental Law Institute to produce a policy report that investigates and compares the laws and policies regulating hardrock mining activities of Alaska to those of other hardrock mineral-producing states. Included in the report, will be a scorecard that evaluates the components of a defined set of each state’s relevant environmental, economic, and social laws.
If you have questions, please contact Dan Cannon at dcannon@alaskaconservation.org
