Critical Minerals in the Arctic: Forging the Path Forward

July 12-13, 2023 | 9:00 AM-4:30 PM | In-Person & Online

On July 12 and 13, the Wilson Center, in partnership with the University of Alaska, Department of Energy’s Arctic Energy Office, and RAND Corporation, is hosting a two-day dialogue about critical minerals in the North American Arctic. The dialogue will develop policy recommendations for development of critical mineral resources in the Arctic, in the context of US national security, energy, climate, and technology goals.

This dialogue will be solutions-oriented, producing actionable policy and investment recommendations. There are three distinct elements of the agenda: six individual working sessions, focusing on community ownership, financing, infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, supply chains, and workforce development; a tabletop exercise quantifying risk prioritization in minerals development, and three public keynote sessions.

In-person attendance of the dialogue is invitation-only, and will be strictly enforced. Limited in-person attendance is available, please contact the Polar Institute for availability. The three keynote seminar sessions will be broadcast live via Zoom, on this webpage; please register here to watch the keynote sessions via zoom. Proceedings from the tabletop exercise and briefs from the working sessions will be publicly available once finalized.

This dialogue builds upon the inaugural August 2022 conference, entitled Alaska’s Minerals: A Strategic National Imperative, hosted by the University of Alaska, US Arctic Research Commission, and Wilson Center.