Alaska is, as I'm fond of pointing out, America's treasure chest. The Great Land has a surfeit of resources: Rare earth metals and other minerals, natural gas, oil, and much more.
Of course, the greatest treasure in the world isn't much good if one can't get it out to where people can make use of it. To that end, Alaska is seeing not only a development renaissance but also a renewal of the state's transportation grid. Chief among these is a proposal to develop Port MacKenzie, across Cook Inlet from Anchorage, as one of the world's most productive mineral export ports.
Global mining executives consider Alaska the richest jurisdiction on the planet in terms of mineral potential, but among the poorest when it comes to the transportation network required to realize that potential. A recent study prepared for the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) envisions a transportation network anchored by Port MacKenzie in Southcentral Alaska as the solution.
"Port MacKenzie is uniquely positioned to support projected statewide mineral export demand," PND Engineers wrote in the "Alaska mineral production, transportation, and port capacity study" prepared for AIDEA.
Alaska at present has one primary shipping port: Anchorage. But Anchorage isn't in the ideal location for mass shipments of minerals and metals. Fortunately, there's an alternative being proposed:
Currently, most of Alaska's businesses and residents rely on the Port of Anchorage as the port- and rail-linked hub for ocean transport of goods. Situated on a strip of land between downtown Anchorage and the upper end of Cook Inlet, however, this port is limited by real estate and logistical constraints.
Just across the inlet, about 2.5 miles northwest of the Port of Anchorage, Port Mackenzie offers an alternative with large tracts of undeveloped land designated for industrial use, a connection to Alaska's highway system, and a partially developed 32-mile rail extension that would connect the industrial port to the Alaska Railroad.
Port MacKenzie is accessible by road, although those roads would need an upgrade. But it seems the logical location. Road access, siting for a port; the only problem I can see is that a lot of the ground down that way is flat and swampy, which could make construction impossible until a few million tons of rock and fill dirt are brought in.
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The other problems are getting the minerals to the port, and to that end, the Trump administration has fast-tracked the Ambler Road, which will proceed from the Dalton Highway south of Coldfoot (few locations were more aptly named) to the Ambler Mining District. Also on the agenda is a possible Susitna West road, which will involve throwing a bridge across the Susitna and angling inland to where there are oil, natural gas, and mineral deposits.
Since these roads are subsidized by Washington, for once, a justifiable expenditure in the name of national security - these are strategic resources - we can hope that they are open for civilian traffic as well. There's an awful lot of great hunting and fishing in both of these areas.
Alaska's energy and mineral renaissance is just getting started. If you'd like to see it continue, make sure you get out and vote this fall.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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