By North of 60 Mining News

Alaska's mineral endowment has long been recognized as vast, but in today's geopolitical and economic climate, it is also increasingly understood as strategic. As the United States works to secure domestic supply chains for critical minerals, Alaska stands apart as one of the few jurisdictions with the scale, geological diversity, and operating history to materially shift the national equation.

In this edition of Critical Conversations, we sit down with Dave Larimer, president of the Alaska Miners Association and exploration manager for Contango Ore, to discuss how Alaska can capitalize on this moment.

Larimer outlines why the state's mineral industry should be viewed not only as an economic engine, but as strategic infrastructure that strengthens Arctic presence, enhances supply-chain resilience, and reinforces national security objectives at a time of intensifying global competition.

Beyond mine development alone, Larimer emphasizes the importance of building out midstream processing capacity, expanding energy and transportation infrastructure, and aligning workforce development with long-term industrial growth, arguing that Alaska's future mineral success depends on disciplined execution – pairing responsible development and environmental performance with predictable permitting, strong partnerships, and strategic investment in power and logistics.

As policymakers in Washington focus on reshoring supply chains and reducing import reliance, Larimer makes the case that Alaska is not starting from zero – it is already a strategic producer. The next step, he suggests, is converting Alaska's rich geological endowment into a strategic and sustained platform for in-state value creation and American supply chain security.

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