The Alaska Miner

27/10/2023

We love it when the Alaska Miners Association spotlights our coal miners! Dale Mattila is a welder at the coal mine, and his son, Jacob Mattila, is a machinist - our maintenance department is glad to have them on our team!

We can't wait to see everyone at the 2023 AMA Convention in a few weeks!

26/10/2023

See you in Anchorage!

The annual convention and trade show is a great event that boasts more than 1,000 attendees representing our Alaska mining family. Convention week includes many networking events, the largest mining tradeshow in the state, representatives from all operating mines and potential mining development pr...

02/10/2023

13/09/2023

Epic!

11/09/2023

Magazine

03/09/2023

When we take Pebble out of this discussion, we see a federal agency seeking to use authority it was not granted under the Clean Water Act.

01/08/2023

The annual convention and trade show is a great event that boasts more than 1,000 attendees representing our Alaska mining family. Convention week includes many networking events, the largest mining tradeshow in the state, representatives from all operating mines and potential mining development pr...

28/03/2023

10/03/2023

12/11/2022

26/10/2022

After seeing a photo of a coal miner and his son at the Blue-White Game, John Calipari offered them free tickets and VIP experience at Rupp Arena.

25/10/2022

Nice to see some respect for a mining family!

A picture from this weekend’s University of Kentucky Blue-White Game in Pikeville is going viral.

09/10/2022

More than 300 Juneau residents donned their finest suits and sparkliest dresses Saturday night at Centennial hall to celebrate the first in-person Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner event since 2019 and to witness the presentation of numerous awards to board members and residents a...

29/07/2022

It’s significant that workers in many of the new prospective mines are in regions near Alaska Native villages and employ people from those communities.

14/05/2022

Usibelli Coal Mine sadly announces the passing of Joseph E. Usibelli, chairman of the company's board of directors. Mr. Usibelli passed away after a long-term illness on May 12, 2022, in Tucson, Arizona, with his wife Peggy Shumaker by his side. Mr. Usibelli was 83 years old.

"My dad was a visionary and a pioneer in Alaska's mining industry," said Joe Usibelli Jr., president of Usibelli Coal Mine. He was known for his ingenuity, generosity, and his deep love for his family, employees, and community. Together, we mourn his loss."

Joe Usibelli was born on December 28, 1938, in Suntrana, Alaska to Emil and Rose Usibelli. He became president of Usibelli Coal Mine at the age of twenty-five after his father, Emil Usibelli, passed away unexpectedly in 1964. Joe would serve as the mine's president until 1987. During his tenure, Mr. Usibelli initiated the modernization of the mine's equipment, introduced new mining techniques, and implemented a successful land reclamation program. In 1987, after announcing that his son, Joe Usibelli Jr., would assume the position of president, Mr. Usibelli went on to serve as chairman of the board of directors until his passing.

Mr. Usibelli is survived by his wife, Peggy Shumaker; his sister Rosalie Whyel; six children (Joe Usibelli Jr., Cathy Usibelli, Mitch Usibelli, Anna Tavener, Rob Usibelli, and Sean Usibelli); ten grandchildren, three nieces, and a nephew; and three great-nieces and nephews. Details regarding the funeral and memorial arrangements will be forthcoming.

Thank you to all those who have reached out to offer condolences.

08/03/2022

These Alaska women in mining rock!

Happy International Women's Day! We are lucky to know and be in partnership with these spectacular board members and leaders in our state.

04/03/2022

Longtime Alaska geologist Dave LePain has been named to succeed Steve Masterman as State Geologist and director of the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS).

LePain took over for Masterman on March 1. Masterman is assisting with the leadership transition for the next month and will retire in April after serving as DGGS director and State Geologist for more than eight years.

LePain is no stranger to DGGS, having served as the Division’s Energy Resources Section Chief since 2014. A highly experienced geologist, LePain’s work in Alaska has focused on the North Slope, including the northeastern Brooks Range, Cook Inlet, and several Interior sedimentary basins. LePain began working for DGGS in 1998 before leaving in 2003 to work at the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, then returning to DGGS in 2006. In 2012, LePain spent a year in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, working for Saudi Aramco before returning, yet again, to DGGS to serve as Petroleum Geologist and Energy Resources Section Chief.

DGGS is part of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and is organized into six program sections: Energy Resources, Mineral Resources, Engineering Geology, Volcanology, the Geologic Information Center, and the Alaska Geologic Materials Center. In addition, DGGS currently oversees operations of the Alaska Geospatial Office (AGO).

With more than 50 full-time employees and an annual budget exceeding $9 million, DGGS collaborates with a variety of state and national organizations to serve a wide range of geologic data and information.

For a full news release about the DGGS leadership change, to gohttp://dnr.alaska.gov/commis/pic/releases/3.4.2022%20Longtime%20Alaska%20geologist%20Dave%20LePain%20named%20new%20DGGS%20director.pdf



PHOTO: Outgoing State Geologist Steve Masterman, left, exchanges a handshake with his successor, Dave LePain, on Thursday, March 3, 2021.