Economy

Ucore Rare Metals says there no timeline for when the plant will be built, but when it is, it will initially employ about a dozen people and eventually about 30.

“What the secretary failed to do was any environmental analysis, any public process related to this actual exchange of lands,” attorney Katie Strong said at the environmental law firm Trustees for Alaska.

The voluntary targets encourage Juneau to generate electricity, heat homes and businesses and fuel transportation using 80 percent renewable energy by 2045. Juneau currently relies on fossil fuels for about 77 percent of its energy needs.

DEC commissioner Larry Hartig said in a press release Tuesday that the findings weren’t “unexpected.”

The city Lands Committee is reviewing six proposals from groups hoping to lease or buy a city property in the Mendenhall Valley. The city previously leased the property to Juneau Youth Services for $1 a year, and may enter into a similar agreement with an applicant they feel meets an important need.

It’s a big road in a state with not that many of them. Proponents say it will enable growth of the mining industry, and create jobs. Detractors worry about impacts to subsistence.