Mining Remains a Cornerstone of Alaska's Economy: Entire nation benefits from responsible resource development.

• Author: Hall, Marleanna
• Position: Mining

Alaska has a long mining history and can attribute much of its infrastructure to early explorers and miners. However, it comes as no surprise Alaska's mining industry continues to face harsh attacks from Outside interests, while Alaskans continue to applaud the success stories. Alaska contains strategic minerals important to national security and the economy. The continued development and production of these resources by the mining industry is vitally important.

Refraining the Conversation Mining in Alaska is, and has been for more than 125 years, an important part of our economy. Earlier mining was not regulated like it is today, and unfortunately, anti-development groups use this important aspect of history as a tool to stop projects, or at a minimum, introduce significant uncertainty and delay.

What these anti-development groups fail to recognize is that in Alaska we take environmental stewardship very seriously. Projects in Alaska must meet some of the most stringent permitting standards in the world.

Often people don't recognize the importance of the mined resources Alaska produces while protecting the environment and providing for everyday way of life. Zinc, for example, is mined in Northwest Alaska. It is used to galvanize steel for important community projects such as infrastructure and is used in the vehicles we drive. Silver, currently mined in Southeast Alaska, is used in everything from medical devices to currency. Gold can be found responsibly mined all across Alaska, but it is large scale developed in the Interior and Southeast and is vital for improving technology from a cell phone to a car.

The resource deposits that are currently being explored around Alaska contain minerals and rare earth elements including copper, gold, graphite, and more. Each of these resources could be used to build power plants, windmills, fishing boats, and even tricycles, all improving the Alaskan, and American, way of life.

And fortunately, technology is improving the way we mine these materials. For the reader who may be using a smartphone or tablet, it took more than forty mined minerals, including copper, silver, gold, and tin, to make that technology possible.

Everyday life benefits, such as recreation, are improved by mining. Whether you're harnessing the power of a sled dog team to cross vast areas of Alaska or using an iron dog to get from place to place, it is mined materials that make all of those activities possible. If you have a road...