Mining News: Usibelli 2010 coal sales set new record 12/19/2010
Shipping a record million tons to Pacific Rim buyers, the family-owned business says Alaska is still its most important market
With coal demand on the rise both in Alaska and the Pacific Rim, Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. coal sales are expected to top 2 million short tons in 2010, marking another record year for the family-owned b...

DNR deputy commissioners named 12/05/2010
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said Dec. 1 that he has named Ed Fogels and Joe Balash as deputy commissioners for the Department of Natural Resources. The governor earlier accepted the resignation of Deput...

Mining News: Japan plays key role in Alaska mining 08/29/2010
To further strengthen trade bonds with Pacific Rim neighbor, Alaska delegation provides minerals update to Tokyo business leaders
Japan is an important player in Alaska's mining industry. The island nation imports more than US$125 million in minerals from the Far North state annually and Tokyo-based businesses own the Pogo...

Mining News: Coal miner advances Wishbone Hill 07/25/2010
Usibelli begins feasibility study, targets 2012 production in historic mining area near Palmer; Port MacKenzie coal-loading a success
With access granted and exploration permit in hand, Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. has started a drill program at its Wishbone Hill property 10 miles northeast of Palmer, Alaska. The fourth-generation, fami...

Mining News: Road to Nome tops commission wish list 04/25/2010
Infrastructure could enhance development of Alaska's minerals while benefiting rural communities; lawmakers fund more studies
The expansion of North America's infrastructure ended about 500 miles short of reaching the westernmost shores of the United States, leaving more than 350,000 square miles of Alaska without surface tr...

A change of mind 03/21/2010
Stevens opts for in-state gas-line routes from NS to Kenai or Valdez
In a major change of heart since leaving office, former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens now thinks that LNG exports into the Pacific Rim from Alaska present the optimum solution for bringing North Slope gas to...

Mining News: Usibelli thrives on coal exports in 2009 01/17/2010
Miner anticipates continued strength in overseas sales in 2010; groups file suit to curb alleged 'Clean Water Act' violations
Increased interest in Alaska coal from buyers in Asia and Chile boosted exports from the Usibelli Coal Mine to record levels in 2009. According to Steve Denton, vice president for business developmen...

Mining News: Miners reclaim Alaska mines as they work 10/25/2009
Property owners' intentions for land after minerals have been extracted is important element of planning for mine closures
Reclamation is a critical element of modern mining and mine planning. In Alaska, companies who wish to extract minerals from the earth must first present a plan on how they propose to return the distu...

MINING NEWS: Petition calls for Cook Inlet coal mining ban 06/24/2007
Alaska DNR commissioner to decide if reclamation is possible in salmon-rich region; developer continuing with baseline studies
TRustees for Alaska, the non-profit law firm that represented the Nome plaintiffs in the case against Rock Creek mine, has teamed up with another citizens' group to oppose coal mining in the Cook Inle...

MINING NEWS: Alaska's only operational coal mine, Usibelli is a third-generation family business 12/24/2006
Usibelli Coal Mine produces one of the world's lowest sulfur-content coals, and it has plenty to sell
Q. Where is Usibelli Coal Mine located? A. It is located in Healy, Alaska, at mile 249 of the Parks Highway in the Alaska Mountain Range. The headquarters and maintenance shop complex is a three-stor...

PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Alaska's only operational coal mine, Usibelli is a third-generation family business 12/10/2006
Usibelli Coal Mine produces one of the world's lowest sulfur-content coals, and it has plenty to sell
Q. Where is Usibelli Coal Mine located? A. It is located in Healy, Alaska, at mile 249 of the Parks Highway in the Alaska Mountain Range. The headquarters and maintenance shop complex is a three-stor...

Coal gasification options in Alaska 10/29/2006
DOE/SAIC studying coal gasification at Nikiski and coal to liquids at Healy; Nikiski plant looks marginally economic
In the portfolio of possibilities for the development of Alaska energy resources, coal gasification has taken a prominent position in the past year. In November 2005 Agrium announced its Blue Sky proj...

MINING NEWS: Usibelli ships coal to Chilean power plant 09/24/2006
The Usibelli coal mine in Healy, Alaska, is shipping coal to a power plant in Mejillones, Chile. The panamax vessel MV Coral Sapphire departed Seward Aug. 18 loaded with 73,000 metric tons of Alaska c...

MINING NEWS: BHP Billiton brings global view to Alaska 08/27/2006
Mining giant BHP Billiton can draw on experience operating 10 coal mines on four continents, Canada's largest diamond mine
BHP Billiton, the huge international mining company that Arctic Slope Regional Corp. has enlisted to help explore and develop coal deposits believed to lie beneath its lands in northern Alaska, is an...

MINING NEWS: Usibelli starts Jumbo Dome permitting 03/26/2006
One hundred million ton Jumbo Dome resource estimate has Alaska's Usibelli hunting for new coal markets
Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. has seen the future, and the future - its Jumbo Dome project - is bigger and better than anything the company has mined in the past, says Steve Denton, Usibelli vice president...

MINING NEWS: Stiles: Alaska coal competes with gas 02/26/2006
Power plants in state and as far away as Chile could be fueled by coal if price is right, according to developer Bob Stiles
Alaska's main rival in the international coal market is Indonesia, developer and rocket scientist Bob Stiles told an Anchorage audience at a myth-busting session Feb. 3. Stiles' goal in speaking to th...

THE EXPLORERS 2005: The clock ticks for Holitna gas exploration 11/31/2005
DOG expects to make a final finding available in November; comments were due by Sept. 30
Holitna Energy and its Native corporation partner, TKC (the village corporation for the Kuskokwim Delta), have been planning to drill for gas in the Holitna basin for several years. Back in 2003 the c...

Step closer to coal 11/20/2005
By 2010 Agrium, Usibelli expect to replace gas with coal as feedstock for Nikiski plant
Agrium announced Nov. 16 that it and Usibelli Coal Mine have completed the first part of a study into the use of a coal gasification plant to generate feedstock for the company's fertilizer plant in N...

MINING NEWS: Cruise ships could share docks with coal 07/24/2005
Canada's Cash Minerals in talks with AIDEA to export 1.2 million tonnes of Yukon coal per year from Skagway Ore Terminal
An ambitious plan by Canadian junior Cash Minerals could bring 1.2 million tonnes of coal per year to Southeast Alaska's Skagway Ore Terminal for export to Pacific Rim markets. Cash has begun talks wi...

MINING NEWS: No winter hiatus: 2005 Alaska plans advanced, some already in full swing 02/27/2005
This year's projects include: continuing work at Pogo, start of construction at Rock Creek and Kensington mines, advanced development at Nixon Fork, Donlin Creek and Pebble, and resource drilling at Ambler; metals prices remain strong
December, January and February are normally a time when the mining industry can stop and catch its collective breath, look into its often cloudy but well-used crystal ball and prepare for the coming y...

MINING NEWS: Alaska attorney general resigns in Taiwan coal affair 02/27/2005
Gregg Renkes owned shares in company he was promoting to dry Alaska's coal for sale to Taiwan; KFx not impacted
Alaska's attorney general, Gregg Renkes, resigned in February following an investigation into his role in promoting the sale of coal to Taiwan. The Bundy report concluded that Renkes had not violated...

MINING NEWS: Second shipment of Usibelli coal headed to Chile; another load likely in January 12/26/2004
Usibelli Coal Mine has secured a sales contract for a second shipment of coal to Chile with Glencore Ltd. The ship was scheduled to begin loading approximately 45,000 metric tons on Dec. 21. This loa...