Juneau -- Saturday the Alaska House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that makes changes to the Alaska State Mining Law. Senate Bill 175, sponsored by the Senate Resources Committee, makes the mining claims process more efficient while improving the accuracy and availability of claim location data.

SB 175 would permit the Department of Natural Resources to use new technology for locating mining claims on the state's land status plats. "These changes will speed up the process for miners and reduce the department's backlog in processing claims," said Senator Rick Halford, Chair of the Senate Resources Committee.

The proposed changes in the bill would make staking claims simpler and less costly for the mining industry, as well as reducing errors in the staking and recording process. SB 175 makes it more feasible to use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to establish claim corners in the field, making the process more accurate. Under this legislation, larger claim sites would be allowed, decreasing the number of stakes in the field and reducing the amount of corresponding paperwork by 75%.

SB 175 is the result of years of cooperation between the Department of Natural Resources and the Alaska Miners Association. The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate in March.

SB 175 now goes to the Governor for signature.

Attachments:

• Sponsor Statement

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