Yesterday, the Alaska Miners Association proudly celebrated 87 years of serving Alaska’s mining community.
Since 1939, AMA has represented and advocated for the people, companies, and projects that help build Alaska. From prospectors to producers, geologists to engineers, students to retirees, our strength has always come from the dedicated people who make up this association.
2024 Data on Alaska’s Mining Industry:
- 12,400 total direct and indirect jobs attributed to Alaska mining industry.
- Charitable contributions to ~230 Alaska non-profits.
- $5.6 million in contributions.
- $1.1 billion spent on goods and services with 500+ Alaska businesses.
- $1.2 billion in wages statewide
- 75% average Alaska resident hire at the six large mines.
- Mining employees live in ~85 communities throughout Alaska
Mining is one of Alaska’s cornerstone industries, creating thousands of high-paying jobs, supporting local businesses, and generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year in state and local government revenue. From gold and zinc to the critical minerals needed for modern technology and national security, Alaska’s mines provide resources that power economies around the world while helping sustain schools, infrastructure, public safety, and community services across the state. Through decades of responsible development, the mining industry has remained a vital economic engine, strengthening Alaska’s economy and creating opportunities for generations of Alaskans.
Other companies also have their leases tied up in litigation from local and environmental groups
ExxonMobil won big at a big Alaska lease sale. Months later, its bids are still in legal limbo.
Nathaniel Herz, Northern Journal/Anchorage Press, August 4, 2026
This spring, ExxonMobil made big news in Alaska.
For years, the multinational oil giant had ignored the periodic auctions for drilling rights on public land in the state, instead investing in projects in other parts of the world like the South American nation of Guyana. Other big companies like Shell and BP had also walked away from holdings in the state — raising fears that Alaska’s oil industry was on the decline.
But in March, after a series of recent big oil discoveries in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska, ExxonMobil came back in force, placing winning bids on two dozen leases in an auction in the federally owned area. Shell, in partnership with a Spanish oil company, also placed surprise bids of its own, as did an array of other firms that collectively offered $163 million in winning bids.
Four months later, though, the Trump administration has yet to issue most of the leases that ExxonMobil bid on and won. A federal lawsuit filed by representatives of the area’s Indigenous residents has tied up 17 of the company’s 24 plots in legal limbo — with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management blocked by a federal judge from issuing leases to the company.
Other big oil players like Shell and ConocoPhillips won leases that don’t face the same legal complications — though multiple smaller companies’ bids are also caught in the litigation.
Last month, the Trump administration stepped back from an appeal that aimed to unblock the issuing process, leaving an underlying legal dispute to play out in a lower court.
Building Alaska’s next generation of energy workers takes more than ambition — it takes long-term investment.
Technical training / Investing in Alaska’s future energy workforce
To help meet that need, ConocoPhillips Alaska recently donated $400,000 to the University of Alaska to invest in its process technology programs. The gift established the ConocoPhillips Alaska Process Technology Support Fund, strengthening the state’s energy workforce pipeline.
“Alaska’s energy industry depends on highly skilled process technicians and operators,” said Tim Turner, vice president, Operations, ConocoPhillips Alaska. “The need is growing, and the challenge is twofold: awareness and access.”
The fund supports the process technology programs at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Community and Technical College and the University of Alaska Anchorage Kenai Peninsula College. It is focused on:
- Modernizing hands-on training and updating equipment, so students train on what they will use in the field.
- Expanding outreach so more students know this option exists, including early exposure for high school students.
- Creating smoother transitions from classroom to high-demand energy careers in Alaska.
“We see this as a long-term workforce development investment that connects classroom learning to real careers, and we hope it also encourages additional industry partners to invest in this vital pipeline,” Turner said.
These programs are already delivering results. The university reports that most process technology graduates secure jobs in Alaska within one year of completing their studies.
“If you’re looking for a career that’s hands-on, high-responsibility and built to last, this is a strong place to start,” Turner said.