The Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources has issued a suspension order for mining related required payments under the authority of AS 38.05.020. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 virus, the ability of holders of state mining interest to travel to the state and to those interest, and the restriction placed on travel by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has limited the ability of out-of-state mining claimants to travel to the State of Alaska to perform the required annual labor or generate sufficient revenue to make mining related payments. Restrictions also affected the ability of Alaskan miners to travel and to generate the required revenue. The financial hardship and inability of miners to access their claims, leasehold locations, and leases due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus places an inequitable burden on Alaska’s miners to comply with state statutes through no fault of their own, but rather through an act of God.

Pursuant to AS 38.05.020(b)(5), the commissioner determined that it is in the best interest of the state to grant affected persons a one-year extension for payments required by AS 38.05.210 and AS 38.05.211, and associated regulations. Upon written request to the Division of Mining, Land & Water, payments of cash-in-lieu of annual labor or paying rent on their mineral locations may be extended to miners. Suspension request must be received on or before November 30, 2020. This suspension does not relieve the miner of the requirement to record their affidavit of annual labor by November 30, 2020 for the 2020 mining year. The addendum to the order provides guidelines for seeking relief.

Copies of the notice are available on the DMLW website http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/index.htm, the Mining website http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/mining/ and as an attachment to this notice.

Hard copies are also available at the Public Information Centers (PIC) in Anchorage and Fairbanks.

For further information on this order or on how to apply for a waiver may be obtained by contacting Kristen Shake (907) 269-8652 or Richard R. Lessard (907) 269-7889.