An Alaska mine-permitting checklist.

• Author: Fisk, Bob
• Position: Includes related article on Red Dog Mine's operation permit

Mining in Alaska is again on the upswing. Mines don't just happen overnight. Rather, they start with an idea, a feeling, followed by lots of leg-work looking for that special spot that hopefully will bring the anticipated rewards.

The process of developing a successful mine is long and difficult. The most difficult task can be obtaining the necessary permits required for every phase of mine development. It is hard to imagine a mine that doesn't require some type of permit - from the simple suction dredge operation to the large complex operations such as the Fort Knox gold mine or the Red Dog lead/zinc mine.

Permits will be required for every phase of the mine development, and most mines go through four phases: exploration, development, construction and operation.

Exploration will set the stage for the type and amount of ore to be mined. Furthermore, the environment where the anticipated mining will occur gets identified. A mining plan of operation will probably be submitted to either a federal land management office or the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. The scope and location of the proposed mining operation will determine whether the guidelines of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will affect the permitting process. If the project is solely on state or private land and will not have a detrimental affect on adjoining land, NEPA will probably not come into play. If the project lies on federal lands or impacts federal lands, NEPA will be triggered.

For most small mining operations an Environmental Assessment (EA) will be done to analyze the proposed action/actions. An alternative action will also be derived and analyzed. Stipulations to preferred alternatives will be attached to the approval of the mining plan. Mining proposals with large impacts to the environment or health and human safety will trigger an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

During the development stage of a mine, the design of the preferred alternatives are analyzed, baseline data are collected, and the EA or EIS is completed. At this point the mine developer has identified and been informed of all of the permits needed for the next stage of development: construction.

By the time construction begins, all necessary permits are in place to allow the construction of the mine infrastructure. While the mine is under construction the developer should move forward and carefully review the operating permits.

The final stage is the operation phase. The...