From our friends at the AMA:
Bringing Alaska’s Carbon Ore, Rare Earth Elements, and Critical Minerals into Perspective

Meeting Date: January 18, 2022, 

Meeting Location:
Geological Materials Center
3651 Penland Pkwy, Anchorage, AK 99508

To register for this event: https://forms.gle/4qdTZCTnzeTZZCMWA Carbon Ore, Rare Earth and Critical Minerals | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

The University of Alaska Fairbanks, in partnership with the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, was awarded approximately $1.5 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to perform a set of broad basinal assessments of Alaska’s Carbon Ore, Rare Earth and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM). Other aspects of this project include assessing the readiness of technology to exploit the resource in a particular location while considering environmental factors, evaluating the market potential for the minerals and potential manufacturing of products, and preparing plans for establishing a “Technology Innovation Center” to support this budding industry in Alaska. This Phase 1 effort ends in August 2023. If selected for Phase 2, then it is anticipated DOE will provide another $7.5 million for implementation of the plans developed during Phase 1.

Establishing a successful CORE-CM industry in Alaska requires the involvement of many stakeholders. Stakeholders include mineral owners, miners, processing companies, manufacturers, investors, state and federal regulators, the environmental community, indigenous peoples, taxing entities, and many others. Our project team is committed to creating opportunities for stakeholder involvement. To that end, we will hold our first stakeholder engagement meeting on January 18, 2022, to inform the public about the goals and objectives of this project, and to invite regular and active engagement. I have attached the Statement of Project Objectives as awarded by DOE to reinforce the importance of public engagement in this project.

We are also incorporating an opportunity for stakeholders to make a 5-minute “Elevator Speech” for the benefit of all participants. A recommended outline for your “Elevator Speech” is included in the meeting agenda.  Because we will be having discussions as part of the meeting, in-person involvement in the meeting is preferred, however, a Zoom link will be offered for those unable to travel. (Only in-person participants who have registered will be given the opportunity to present their “Elevator Speech.”) 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this event, or this project.

We look forward to seeing you in Anchorage, Jan 18.Contact:

Brent J Sheets
Director, Petroleum Development Lab
Institute of Northern Engineering
907-750-0650