...said. By 2012, about 2,000 jobs will be created in Alaska's mining industry, said Richard Hughes, state minerals development specialist. With worldwide demand for minerals on the rise and metal prices soaring, new mines are popping up in...

...primarily because Greens Creek Mining Co. reopened its mine near Juneau last year, said Al Clough, a state minerals development specialist. The mine had been shut down for three years. Japan is buying more than half of Alaska's products...