♦ November Special Section ♦

Natural Resource Development

2026 Mining News
Alaska Business provides an update on the mining industry, including permits, projects, and proposals.

Tech Reducing Environmental Impact
Mining remains one of Alaska’s most important economic engines, but environmental scrutiny and permitting challenges are intensifying. This article explores how companies are adopting cutting edge technologies—from autonomous haul trucks to advanced water treatment systems—to reduce environmental impact, improve safety, and streamline operations.

What’s Happening with the Salmon?
Several of Alaska’s salmon populations have been declining in recent years. Multiple reasons for the decline have been proposed, and a new study sheds more insight on what’s affecting the state’s favorite fish.

Mid-Year Oil & Gas Updates
Oil and gas activity has been growing in Alaska in the past few years; this article curates some of the largest developments in the state’s oil and gas industry.

Engineering: Designing Multi-Use Buildings
Construction in rural Alaska is costly and complicated, so when funding is approved for a large structure, it often serves multiple purposes. For similar reasons, buildings which have outgrown their original use are often renovated, remodeled, or reenvisioned to continue to be of use to communities that excel at taking advantage of every square foot.

Telecom & Tech: Fintech
Mining, fishing, and energy companies are increasingly relying on digital payments, automated invoicing, and financial analytics tools. This article explores how fintech is streamlining operations, improving transparency, and reducing costs in Alaska’s resource heavy economy.

Transportation: The Haul Road
The Dalton Highway is essential infrastructure for development and continued operations on the North Slope. How is this critical road maintained, and what improvements does it need to support far north economic activity?

Marketing: Outdoor Advertising
Alaska does not currently allow advertising on billboards along the road system, but that doesn’t prevent other outdoor advertising meant to catch a traveler’s eye. What kind of outdoor advertising is available to local businesses, and how are they taking advantage of what regulations do allow?

Agriculture: Technological Advancements
Growing Alaska’s agriculture sector is a win/win for the state, creating jobs, generating revenue locally, improving food security, and creating better access to fresh, healthy foods. Research into better methods of utilizing Alaska’s short but potent summer growing season is one avenue to strengthening local food systems.

Manufacturing: NOMAR
Homer-based NOMAR launched operations twenty years ago in a converted GMC school bus with a barrel stove for heat and a single commercial sewing machine. The company has grown today to offer a variety of textile-based goods and has a custom shop that can accommodate upholstery, boat enclosures, and equipment covers.

Education: UAF Critical Minerals Grant
The US National Science Foundation is funding a critical minerals project led by UAF. The Alaska project was one of twelve selected as new NSF Regional Innovation Engines. The NSF Critical Mineral Accelerator Engine in Alaska will receive $15 million during its first two years and could receive up to $160 million over ten years.

Professional Development: Characteristics of Leadership
This is the eleventh of twelve articles by guest author Lincoln Garrick that explore key characteristics that good leaders avoid, with local leaders weighing in with their own experiences. For November: Extreme Micromanagement.