Juneau, Alaska – The Alaska Legislature Thursday, with unanimous passage in the Senate, passed a bill to extend the lifetime of the Alaska Minerals Commission. The Commission was created in 1986 to make recommendations on ways to help develop the state’s mineral resources.

House Bill 99, sponsored by Representative Dan Saddler, extends the Commission through Feb. 1, 2024, and also implements staggered terms for appointees, and term limits.

“The Alaska Minerals Commission has done important work and provided sound recommendations on how to keep the minerals industry healthy in Alaska, and I’m grateful that it is being extended another 10 years,” Saddler, R-JBER/Eagle River, said. “The Commission members’ broad experience has helped the state keep up to date on industry trends, identify roadblocks and suggest solutions to maintain a healthy mining sector, which provides needed jobs and economic benefits to communities and regions across the state.”

The Commission is made up of 11 members, five appointed by the Governor, and three each by the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate. HB 99 institutes term limits, allowing appointees to serve two successive three-year terms.

Some of the key recommendations from the Commission implemented by the Legislature include: funding Roads to Resources projects, reforming state permitting processes, assuming state primacy on water quality regulation, and re-establishing the Citizens Advisory Commission on Federal Areas.

HB 99 passed the House unanimously on March 25 and now moves to the Governor for signature.