You should care about mining in Alaska: Alaska mining promotes safety, environmental stewardship, and healthy economies.

• Author: Crockett, Deantha
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Mining

As a life-long Alaskan, I'm proud to call this state home and I'm equally proud to represent Alaska's mining industry. As our state copes with a serious fiscal crisis, mining is one of the few industries with great potential for growth, which would mean more good jobs, more state revenue, and more diversity for Alaska's economy.

Here's why you should care about mining Alaska, why you'll find it's an activity you can support, why you should be concerned about challenges the industry faces, and on a brighter note, why you should be optimistic about the future of mining in Alaska.

We Alaskans certainly appreciated our sunscreen (and the need for it!) this summer. We can thank the mineral zinc, which, chances are, was mined from one of the world's largest zinc mines at the Red Dog Mine near Kotzebue. Driving to and from our favorite camping and fishing spots, we were kept safe by highway guardrails, galvanized by the same valuable zinc. Emergency rooms around our state use silver sulfadiazine to treat burns. Alaska is home to one of the world's Top 10 silver producers, the Greens Creek Mine near Juneau. You may be reading this column on your cell phone which, among other metals, contains gold and silver which are mined at five large-scale mines; and gold is also mined at nearly three hundred small-scale mines throughout Alaska.

There is no question that each and every human being on Earth has a strong dependence on minerals. Unfortunately, there's a disconnect in today's society between some people's negative perception of mining and their daily use of the products of mining. Our dependence on mining products is higher than ever and going nowhere anytime soon. The demand for mined products will continue, and they have to come from somewhere. Why not Alaska?

Phenomenal Accomplishments

Alaska's mining industry can boast many phenomenal accomplishments in terms of safety, environmental protection, and benefits to the Alaska economy. Mining in Alaska brings exceptional economic benefits to communities, the state, and the nation while safeguarding workers and not only protecting the environment, but enhancing it.

Let's start with safety, as everything in our industry starts with safety. I'd like to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of safety in the mining industry. In 2016, our six large mining operations achieved significant safety milestones: 1.6 million hours without a lost time incident, International Society of Mine Safety...