Alaska-Richardson-Steese Highways Corridor Action Plan
Project Details
What happened to the former hotel property in Tok?
An Alaska-based contractor renovated the facility into a camp and office for the mine. We call it the Tok Campus.
Has Kinross considered offering a shuttle service from town to Fort Knox for employees?
Yes. We recently launched a pilot program which we are closely tracking to gauge interest for a permanent program. We also encourage carpooling and encourage employees to drive to conditions and practice safe driving habits when commuting.
Where is the project at now in terms of the overall timeline?
Right now, we in the operational stage, which is expected to last 4-5 years. You can read more in our project timeline and the latest newsletter.
What is going on with the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities’ (DOT&PF)’s transportation advisory committee and independent consultant?
The State selected Kinney Engineering of Anchorage as its contractor and Randy Kinney of Kinney Engineering met with the advisory board to discuss an initial scope of work starting with inventorying current conditions, including population, land use, road conditions, traffic patterns and crashes. Following a number of committee meetings and presentations, Kinney released a draft report, which was available for public review and comments. Kinney is now working on a final report. As the operator of Manh Choh, we see this as one more opportunity for continued community input.
Has a seasonal operation been discussed? For example, could the mill run from mid-August – mid-April?
Seasonal operations have been discussed but are not being pursued at this time. Steady, year-round operations is the safest and most efficient course and minimizes the number of trucks on the road at one time.
Will Manh Choh chip in money to help with additions of passing lanes, pull offs, etc.?
Alaska has a motor fuels tax like all other states (however, it is among the lowest in the nation). A portion of the cost of fuel is distributed into a fund that is used to maintain our public highways. Federal funds are being used to support the new or extended passing lanes and as many as five bridge replacements. These projects will be primarily funded through federal highway funds and the 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act.
In an effort to make sure are doing our part to maintain the roads, we will also meet (or do better than) all legal/regulatory requirements, including load and speed limits, driver duty times.
Will tailings be left at Manh Choh?
No. Tailings are processed and stored at Fort Knox, significantly reducing the environmental footprint in the Tetlin area.
Are there going to be more meetings so community members can continue to communicate with Kinross?
Yes, community meetings will continue throughout the life of the project. These details will be posted to the website, emailed and distributed through other channels such as social media. We also established a community advisory group to help inform Kinross of community concerns and create additional avenues for communication with the community.
Will you have to break down trailers in Fox?
Yes. We separate the trailers in Fox to continue up to the Fort Knox access road. Our breakdown yard is between the weigh station and NOAA driveway.
Why didn’t you build a mill in the Tetlin area?
Project economics simply did not support constructing a mill near the mine site, along with a required tailings storage facility. A mill and tailings storage facility are capital intensive and require years to permit. There is not enough available power in the Tok region to support a mill so an additional powerplant would have needed to be constructed.
A mill and a tailings storage facility would also significantly expand the project’s footprint and would increase environmental risks.
As the Tetlin Tribal Council wrote in a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the public comment period for our 404 permit:
“This plan only works because it uses existing infrastructure, the public highway system, and the mill at Fort Knox.”
Our Trucking Partner
What company did Kinross hire as their trucking partner?
Following an extensive, multi-year process, Kinross Alaska selected Black Gold Express as its ore transport contractor. (For Manh Choh trucking, Black Gold operates as Black Gold Transport). Black Gold is a family-owned trucking and logistics company headquartered in interior Alaska. It was founded in 1987, primarily to service businesses on the North Slope, but has since expanded its operations to include services for the petrochemical, civil, power, industrial and construction industries. It operates both in Alaska and the Lower 48.
We chose Black Gold because of our shared values of safety, community and commitment to getting the job done right. The company has a sterling safety record, understands how to operate safely in tough weather conditions and has years of experience hauling ore in Interior Alaska.
Are trucks required to pull over when a certain number of cars have amassed behind them?
Our transportation contractors comply with all Alaska laws and regulations, including pulling over when safe to do so, when five or more cars are behind the vehicle. Trucks also move over to the right in passing lanes and multi-lane sections of the route to allow other vehicles to pass.
Does dust come out of the trucks?
Our trucks have covered loads, and depending on the moisture content of the rock, it may not even be possible for the rock to produce dust. The covers are secured to the trucks.
Safety
In what ways has the Manh Choh operations team been proactive with safety? Have there been any meetings with the local school districts?
We have met with all local school districts and bus companies to discuss our transportation plan and to learn about bus routes, including stop locations and times along the transport route. Our drivers follow the law and stop for all buses picking up or dropping off students. We use Samsara and geofencing to alert our drivers to upcoming bus stops. Samsara also has the ability to connect to HAAS, should the school districts implement such a system. HAAS connects drivers in a real-time communications network.
How will you manage traffic around school bus stops?
Safety is our highest priority, and this includes areas such as school bus stops, pedestrian walkways and bike paths. We foster a culture of safety throughout the company and have dedicated safety staff who are solely focused on safety. We continue to work with the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT), our trucking partner and area schools to better understand each school bus stop situation and how to maximize student safety. Drivers are trained on location of school zones to take extra caution. We use GPS to monitor and strictly enforce speed limits in our vehicles. We support DOT in efforts to add school zone signs where needed. We use Samsara and the geofencing to notify drivers of upcoming bus stops. Samsara also has the ability to connect to HAAS, should the school districts implement such a system. HAAS connects drivers in a real-time communications network.
How much did traffic increase on the highway?
We estimate an average of 60 trucks per day; a truck in either direction every 10-15 minutes. The trailer design is optimized to reduce trips by 10%. Trucking typically increases traffic by 5-20% along the route. In Fairbanks, where the roads are already much busier, we expect a 1% increase in traffic. A higher percent increase will be noticed in quieter areas between Delta and Tok.
What are the DOT highway improvement plans?
Alaska DOT had previously announced several improvements to the planned corridor route from 2022-2025 including bridge replacements, passing lanes, asphalt resurfacing and more. You can find details here: https://dot.alaska.gov/nreg/tetlintofortknox. For questions, contact the Northern Region Public Information Office at (907) 451-5307 or dot.ask@alaska.gov.
How does trucking adapt to adverse weather conditions?
We are committed to safety and view it as our number one priority. We slow or stop operations if weather conditions are deemed unsafe. This is a commitment we made after it came up in community meetings.
Are there any identified health risks associated with the fugitive dust?
The elemental metals we truck are in a stable form, bound chemically in the rock as a compound. Crushing, which occurs in a very controlled mining environment at Fort Knox rather than Manh Choh, exposes these metals, but a chemical change also needs to occur. The volume of dust leaving the trucks is minimal, if any, as the uncrushed ore has very few fine particles and the ore moisture content suppresses any fines. Also, the trailers are covered.
Environment
Will you use ultra-low-sulfur diesel?
Yes, using ULSD and modern pollution control technology installed on today’s diesel engines reduces fine particulates (soot) and pollutants in diesel exhaust by over 90%.
Learn more from the Department of Environmental Conservation here: https://dec.alaska.gov/air/anpms/ultra-low-sulfur-diesel/faq/
What is being done about air emissions from trucks?
Air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are very important to us. We use new, purpose-built highway tractors that have high-efficiency, low emissions engines that meet the latest EPA 2021 (Tier 4 comparable) emissions standards.
Independent modeling shows trucking will contribute less than 0.25% of PM 2.5 emissions in the Non-Attainment Area 1. We are confident our trucks will not impact the path back to PM 2.5 attainment based on the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s State Implementation Plan. Loads are covered to greatly minimize dust.
We do not allow emissions controls to be bypassed during operations and incentivize our trucking partner to strive for fuel efficiency improvements during operations.
Did you consider air quality changes with the addition of highway trucks?
Yes, an independent consultant was hired to study the effects the plan could have on the identified PM 2.5 non-attainment area along the route (about 20 miles of public roadway). The additional trucks on the roadway account for <1% of mobile-only sources and <0.25% of the mobile and stationary sources in the PM 2.5 non-attainment area. Other substances (such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides) have also been analyzed and are similarly deemed insignificant by the consultant.
Truck transportation is intermittent and transient in nature. This activity does not affect the EPA-approved State Implementation Plan and ADEC’s plans to address emissions and bring the PM 2.5 non-attainment area into compliance.
Have you considered noise changes along the route?
Yes. Manh Choh hired an independent contractor to conduct a noise study that measured baseline noise levels at 19 different locations, including residences, schools, churches and parks along the route. This data was then used for noise modeling at nearly 400 additional locations.
Highway ore transport trucks produce noise levels similar to highway trucks that are already operating along the highway corridor, transporting building materials, food, general supplies and fuel, among other products.
During daytime hours, the increase in noise from the transport trucks is 3 decibels or less in most areas, which is barely perceptible to most people.
An increase in noise from highway hauling during early morning and evening hours is typically below 4 to 6 decibels, which is considered “just perceptible” to most people.
To help reduce noise, Manh Choh uses late-model and well-maintained trucks equipped with noise suppression systems and provides driver training. The highway trucking is not predicted to meet or exceed any federal highway regulations or regulations from the Alaska DOT&PF.
*All projections are for the exterior of structures and do not include the noise reduction provided by the structure, which is typically around 28 decibels or more for a well-insulated structure.
Why not extend the railroad or create another road?
While a railroad would be a useful option, the infrastructure does not currently exist and is not economically viable with an ore body the size of Manh Choh. Utilizing existing infrastructure makes this project possible and also reduces the environmental footprint of the operation.
Employment/Economic Impact
How much of an impact does Manh Choh have on employment in the area?
Now that it’s in production, Manh Choh is the second-largest private employer in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area. The mine supports about 500 workers with an annual payroll of $75 million. The average wage is about $130,000 – not counting benefits.
How does this mine support the Fairbanks community?
The project breathes new life into Fort Knox, preserving about 1,000 jobs for Alaskans. Our trucking contractor estimates that 200 new jobs will be created to support the transport plan. These include 114 truck drivers, along with mechanics, equipment operators, laborers and experts in health and safety, most of whom will be based in Fairbanks.
In total, the project will inject nearly $1B into the economy through salaries, contracts and purchases to support mining operations and construction.
Will Alaskans be considered for jobs?
Yes! Kinross Manh Choh prioritizes local hiring and investment in local businesses.
Manh Choh supports400-600 high paying jobs during operations. Trucking supports approximately 200 jobs, including truck drivers, mechanics and support personnel. Most of the operations jobs are based at the project site near Tok and most of the transportation jobs are based in the Fairbanks area.
Our trucking contractor has also committed to conducting ongoing local hire efforts, including using community outreach, job training and apprenticeships to increase village and local participation
The project will inject an estimated $1B into Alaska’s economy through wages, purchases of supplies and service contracts and construction.
Some 76% of all spending on the project is in support of businesses based in Alaska, and that number has increased each year (from 68% in 2020 to 79% in 2022). We also recognize the importance of using local businesses within the project area. In fact, 13% of total spending takes place within the local areas of Tok and Delta Junction.
Over the life of the mine, Manh Choh will purchase an estimated $425 million in goods and services from local businesses in Tok, Delta Junction, Fairbanks and other locations.
Will you continue drug testing employees and contractors working on this project?
Yes. We will do random screenings for drugs and alcohol and will require testing upon any suspicious behavior, activity or significant event that occurs as we do with all employees on all Kinross projects.
How would local jobs be impacted if Kinross ended their mining operations at Fort Knox?
There are 2,100 jobs tied to mining operations at Fort Knox. That includes 750 direct jobs plus another 300 contractors (99% local hire), and twice as many indirect jobs. The Manh Choh project will not only help secure those current jobs in the Fairbanks area but will also add over 400-600 additional opportunities for local employment.
Is there training/certification opportunities for future employees to ensure we can keep these jobs local?
Yes. The mine and its business partners are committed to local hire and have sponsored workshops, on-the-job training and job fairs to help area residents prepare for Manh Choh jobs. Project operator Kinross Alaska helps youth develop work skills for a lifetime by endowing scholarships like the new Future Leaders at UAF, computers for Tetlin high school graduates and sponsorship of students to EXCEL, a program dedicated to improving education outcomes in rural Alaska. Additionally, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development provided a $300,000 grant to UAS’ Mining and Training Petroleum Service program to train area residents for the mining jobs.