ACTION ALERT

Thank you to the Alaska Miners Association for the following alert:

Please comment on the Public Notice of the renewal request for the Wishbone Hill mine permits by 5:00 pm on June 3.

Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc. has submitted the renewal request for an additional five-year term and includes permit areas previously approved in the existing permits. No additional mining areas or revisions are proposed.  

The Wishbone Hill project, located on State, Mental Health Trust, and private land five miles west of Sutton, has been permitted every five years since 1992.

Comments may be submitted to:

Russell Kirkham
Division of Mining, Land, and Water
550 W 7^th Ave Suite 920
Anchorage, AK 99501-3577
Or by email at [email protected] with the subject line "Wishbone Hill Mine Permit Renewal."

Points to consider:

• The Matanuska Coal Fields have a long history of coal mining in Alaska.
• The low-sulfur, bituminous coal in the Wishbone Hill area is a valuable State resource.
• The Wishbone Hill project provides an opportunity for new, family wage jobs, and economic diversification in the Mat-Su Valley.
• Based on the last feasibility study, the Wishbone Hill project would employ approximately 100 people.
• The average wage in the mining industry is over $100,000 per year, higher than the median household income of the Borough.
• Taxes and royalties collected by developing the Wishbone Hill project will help provide new revenue to the State. 
• Usibelli Coal Mine is an Alaskan owned and operated company that has responsibly developed Alaska's coal resources in Healy, Alaska for 76 years.
• The Alaska Surface Coal Mining Control and Reclamation Act provides necessary safeguards to protect public health and the environment.

See AMA's comment letter at: http://www.alaskaminers.org/state-issues

See the original Public Notice and more information at:
https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=197032

Comments are due by 5:00 pm on June 3, 2020.