US Labor Dept. vs. Alaska Goldmine: Injunction Sought

0:00The U.S. Department of Labor is back in court, asking a federal judge to force a goldmine near Fairbanks, Alaska, to let inspectors in. This is the second time they're pushing for it against Alaska. Goldmine LLC run by Sheldon and Johnny Meyer. The fight kicked off back in 2022 when inspectors tried to check the spot-off Steve's highway for safety issues. Federal law demands yearly mine inspections to keep workers safe, but the owners blocked access multiple times. They insist the operation shut down after a 2023 judge ruling, and now they're just hauling dirt for landscaping on private land with. No employees or commercial digging, owners fired back hard, claiming inspectors trespassed without warrants, and even threatened to rest through state troopers. Jan Meyer sued four inspectors in 2023, but that case got tossed for bad paperwork. Both sides briefly agreed to drop the main fight in 2024 when the Meyer said they quit mining. Fast forward to last year inspectors spotted heavy machines cranking and cars parked there in September 2025, plus a helicopter flyover.

1:06Show no one, but activity looked fresh. The agency hit them with 17 citations, totaling $8,134 before and ordered a halt without proper training. Now the labor department filed for an injunction on April 24, assigned to judge Aaron Christian Peterson as they pushed to settle if the mines really dormant or still rolling under the radar. That's the story for today. Anchorage News Today, driven by AI.