Mining
RSSMining in Alaska is the extraction of gold, zinc, coal, gravel and other minerals across the state. It includes major mines such as Pebble, Donlin Gold, Red Dog, Kensington and Fort Knox, plus placer and gravel operations, and the permits, land use and water quality reviews that govern them.
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Greens Creek operator Hecla will cash out its preferred stock and may sell new shares
Hecla Mining Co., which runs the Greens Creek silver mine on Admiralty Island near Juneau, said Tuesday it will redeem all its remaining Series B preferred stock and may sell up to 50 million new shares of common stock.
The redemption is set for Dec. 11. Cashing out every share would cost about $7.64 million, and Hecla said in a filing that it will pay from cash on hand.
The company had $692 million in cash and equivalents at the end of the third quarter, its quarterly filing shows. In that quarter, Greens Creek set a site record of $147 million in free cash flow.
Holders will get $50 a share plus an estimated 68 cents in dividends built up since Oct. 1. They can instead convert each preferred share into about 3.2 shares of common stock by Dec. 10, but they would give up those dividends.
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Stories on what’s next
NANA Regional Corporation $16.87 Per Share Distribution
NANA's fall payout works out to about $1,687 for an original shareholder
NANA's fall payout is $16.87 a share — about $1,687 for an original shareholder with 100 shares. Update your information by Nov. 6 to be paid on time.
Hearing Request Deadline for Two Bull Ridge Mine Permit S-0603 Renewal
State renews Usibelli's Healy coal permit, raises cleanup bond to $7.7 million
Two Bull Ridge's coal pits near Healy are nearly done. The state renewed the permit for five years and bumped the cleanup bond 42%, to $7.7 million.
Request for Reconsideration Deadline: Copper River Basin Area Plan Adoption
New Copper River Basin plan could put more state land up for sale
Alaska's new Copper River Basin land plan makes 200,000 more acres eligible for private ownership and closes 306,000 acres to new mining claims.
DNR Antimony Mining Permit Appeal Deadline
Nova Minerals says state approved its antimony mine and Port MacKenzie refinery plans
Nova Minerals says the state gave final approval to its antimony mine and Port MacKenzie refinery. The state hasn't posted the signed decision yet.
Alaska Board of Game written comment deadline: Ambler Road hunting and trapping closure (GMUs 23, 24)
Ambler Road hunting closure up for Nov. 20 vote traces to a confidential agreement
The Board of Game votes Nov. 20 on closing a strip along the Ambler Road to hunting and trapping. A confidential road memo called for backing one.
Latest
Week of Nov 9
Canadian court approves NovaGold deal that would put Donlin Gold under one owner
A Canadian court approved NovaGold's stock deal for Paulson's 40% of Donlin Gold, which is expected to put the Alaska mine project under one owner Dec. 1.
by Melinda Communities.News2d ago3 min read
Graphite One pays a federal lab to see if its Nome-area mine could also yield rare earths
Graphite One is paying a federal lab to see if its rock near Nome also holds rare earth elements. The mine itself is still years and a federal review away.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Nova Minerals says its Port MacKenzie plant could support far more than its funded first phase
Nova Minerals says its secondhand Port MacKenzie plant can grind 216,000 metric tons of ore a year and models up to 20,000 tons of antimony with more gear.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Week of Nov 2
AIDEA lets its director sign binding Ambler Road deals and move an estimated $86 million
AIDEA's board told its director to sign binding Ambler Road agreements and move an estimated $86 million more toward the road, weeks before Dunleavy leaves.
by Melinda Communities.News5d ago3 min readFrom 
State energy board votes on nearly $5 million solar loan for Red Dog Mine
The state energy board votes Thursday on a nearly $5 million loan for solar at Red Dog Mine, sized to stay just under the line where the Legislature gets a say.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Kensington mine's gold output falls 21%, but high gold prices keep it profitable
Kensington mine near Juneau dug up a fifth less gold this summer than last year, at a higher cost per ounce. High gold prices still kept it in the black.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
NovaGold shareholders approve trading stock for Paulson's share of Donlin Gold
NovaGold shareholders voted to swap stock for Paulson's 40% of Donlin Gold, which would give one company the project. Building it waits on a 2027 study.
by Melinda Communities.News1w ago3 min read
Manh Choh partner expects the low end of its 2026 forecast after rain cut an ore run short
Contango says September rain cut short a run of Manh Choh ore at the Fort Knox mill. The gold mine near Tok is now headed for the low end of its 2026 forecast.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readFrom 
More from Mining
Greens Creek sets record $147 million quarter as Hecla weighs three paths for tailings
Greens Creek set a record for free cash flow, and Hecla is weighing three ways to get silver and gold from its tailings, which it values at $6.4 billion gross.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read
AFN delegates send Klukwan tribe's hardrock mining consent resolution to committee
AFN delegates sent Klukwan's resolution on tribal consent over hardrock mining to a committee, at the tribe's own request. They passed the other 49.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readFrom 
Graphite One pushes Graphite Creek mine near Nome to 2030, a year later than planned
Graphite One pushed its Graphite Creek mine near Nome to 2030 and its Ohio battery plant to late 2028, about a year later on both, without saying why.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Week of Oct 26
Contango finishes Johnson Tract access road and builds camp pad a year ahead of plan
Contango finished the Johnson Tract access road and camp pad a year early, ahead of planned 2027 work. The project still faces a beluga whale lawsuit loss and a disputed state reclamation approval.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readFrom 
Anchorage Assembly weighs just under $300,000 to help price a trash-burning power plant
The Anchorage Assembly may pay its only bidder just under $300,000 to help price a trash-burning power plant, on top of up to $700,000 it approved to design it.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read
Pogo gold mine seeks to fill 9 more acres of wetlands for rock and equipment storage
Pogo gold mine's owner wants to fill 9 more acres of wetlands near the Goodpaster River to make room for waste rock and equipment. Comments are due Dec. 1.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read
State proposes 320-acre Dalton Highway gravel site near the Ambler road's start
The state wants to open a 320-acre gravel site at Dalton Highway Milepost 165, about four miles from where the Ambler road would start. DOT gets the first load.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Red Dog Mine is down to one pit, with zinc output expected to fall by nearly half
Red Dog Mine is down to one pit, and Teck expects its zinc output to fall by nearly half by 2028. Higher zinc prices lifted its profits this quarter.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Coming up
Interior Department and Marine Minerals Administration Meeting with Nome
Nome, Alaska
Meeting
Request for Reconsideration Deadline: Copper River Basin Area Plan Adoption
Public notice
Hearing Request Deadline for Two Bull Ridge Mine Permit S-0603 Renewal
Public notice
DNR Antimony Mining Permit Appeal Deadline
Public notice
Gold Run Pass Mine Permit Renewal – Public Comment Deadline
Public notice
About Mining
Mining in Alaska is the extraction of gold, zinc, copper, coal, gravel and other minerals across the state. It takes in large mines such as Red Dog, Fort Knox, Kensington and Pogo, deposits such as Pebble, Donlin Gold, Graphite Creek and the Arctic copper prospect near Kobuk, and small placer and gravel operations.
Mines need state and federal permits for wetland fill, water discharges, reclamation bonds and land use, and many of those permits open for public comment or court challenge. Recurring questions include the Ambler mining road, gravel sales along the Dalton Highway, critical minerals such as antimony and graphite, and the effect of mining on salmon rivers.
Tribes and local residents, from the Nome area to the Chilkat Valley near Haines, often weigh in on mining proposals. AIDEA, the Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers are among the public bodies whose decisions shape the industry.
More from Mining
Kinross's Alaska mine output falls 29% as less Manh Choh ore reaches the mill
Kinross's Alaska mines produced 29% less gold and silver last quarter, and each ounce sold cost 46% more. Most of the drop traces to Manh Choh, near Tok.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Alaska starts scanning its drill core archive with light beyond what the eye can see
Alaska keeps about 95 miles of drill core in an Anchorage repository. A scanner that sees far past visible light has started turning it into data.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
State energy board to vote on nearly $5 million loan for solar at Red Dog Mine
Red Dog Mine makes all its power from diesel and cuts power to parts of the mine in summer. A state board votes Nov. 5 on a nearly $5 million loan toward solar.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Contango begins drilling the east end of the historic Lucky Shot gold mine
Contango started underground drilling Oct. 22 on the east end of the old Lucky Shot gold mine's veins, a stretch it says no modern program has tested.
by Alaska News2w ago2 min read
Nome mayor calls Kawerak's seabed mining draft inflammatory; city staff will write another
Nome's mayor called Kawerak's seabed mining moratorium draft inflammatory. The council didn't vote on it, and city staff will write a narrower resolution.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read
Graphite One says it won a defense award to test Graphite Creek carbon in high heat
Graphite One says it won a Defense Logistics Agency award to test carbon from its Graphite Creek deposit for high-heat defense uses. It didn't give a value.
by Melinda Communities.News2w ago1 min read
Week of Oct 19
Arctic mine developer wraps summer drilling, says its focus is shifting toward building
Ambler Metals drilled 42 holes at the proposed Arctic copper mine and says its focus is shifting to preparing to build. It wants a federal decision in 2028.
by Melinda Communities.News2w ago2 min readFrom 
Fairbanks advisory committee to elect seven, with Ambler no-hunting corridor on agenda
Fairbanks' fish and game advisory committee elects seven members Nov. 11, then turns to the Ambler Road no-hunting corridor it already voted 13-0 against.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read
Palmer Project companies ask the state to extend their exploration approval to 2033
Two companies want until 2033, not 2028, for the drilling and test pits the state approved at the Palmer copper prospect near Haines. Comments due Nov. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Week of Oct 12
Antimony refinery developer Nova Minerals says its cash won't fund a year of plans
The company building a military antimony refinery at Port MacKenzie says it lacks the cash for another year of plans, after losing $25.6 million last year.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min readFrom 
Board of Game moves Ambler Road hunting closure up to a Nov. 20 web conference
The Board of Game shelved the Ambler Road hunting closure until its January meeting in Kotzebue. Now it's Nov. 20, online, with no testimony taken.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
NovaGold sets Nov. 3 vote on owning all of Donlin; filing details a dropped three-way deal
Shareholders vote Nov. 3 on putting all of Donlin Gold under one company, nearly 40% owned by Paulson's firm. The filing details a 3-way deal that fell apart.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago4 min readFrom 
State plans to sell Homer contractor 5,000 cubic yards from Ohlson Mountain site
The state intends to sell a Homer contractor 5,000 cubic yards of material from atop Ohlson Mountain. That's roughly 400 to 500 dump-truck loads.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom 
Week of Oct 5
State takes comments through Oct. 29 on water quality review of AIDEA's West Susitna road
The state is taking comments through Oct. 29 on whether AIDEA's 78.5-mile West Susitna road meets water quality rules. The Corps' own window closes Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Testifiers oppose West Susitna road and bridge in state's draft transportation plan
Two testifiers urged Alaska to drop the West Susitna road from its draft transportation plan, citing cost and opposition, while the transportation commissioner defended it as access to state land.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Week of Sep 28
Senate committee advances five-year renewal of federal program mapping Alaska's geology
A Senate committee advanced a five-year renewal of Earth MRI, the federal program mapping what's under Alaska's ground, the same day its funding ran out.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Conservation groups appeal state's Ambler road easement in Anchorage Superior Court
Seven conservation groups asked a judge to overturn DNR's easement for the Ambler road. Both sides cite the state Supreme Court's Donlin ruling.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago5 min read
Eaglecrest board extends former acting manager's pay through mid-November to help new GM
Eaglecrest has a new general manager, but the old acting one keeps acting pay into November to help with the handoff. The board says it costs about $6,000.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
AIDEA looks at modular bridges used at Red Dog Mine for the proposed Ambler road
AIDEA toured modular steel bridges at Red Dog Mine as it weighs them for the proposed Ambler road, a project NANA and Tanana Chiefs have opposed.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read
Court-ordered review models what a large Donlin Gold dam failure would do downstream
A court-ordered review modeled what a Donlin Gold dam failure would do downstream. The Corps calls any failure extremely unlikely; the worst cases are severe.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min readFrom 
Week of Sep 21
Judge upholds permit for Contango's Johnson Tract road after company finished building it
A judge upheld the permit for Contango's road and bridges at the Johnson Tract in Lake Clark. By then, the company had already finished building them.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom 
Kinross cuts gold forecast over Chile and Nevada mines; its Alaska operation's output is also down this year
inross trimmed its gold forecast, blaming Chile and Nevada, and its shares fell 11.6%. Alaska wasn't mentioned; its mines are producing less at higher cost.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
EPA proposes $21,618 penalty over Red Dog Mine spill into Red Dog Creek
EPA proposed a $21,618 penalty against Teck Alaska Inc. for a May 2025 leak of process water into Red Dog Creek near Kotzebue after a pump failure at the mine.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
AIDEA's board takes six major projects into executive session in Kotzebue
AIDEA's board meets in Kotzebue with Ambler, Red Dog, ANWR and West Susitna on the closed agenda — listed by name, with nothing said about what's up.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read