The Alaska Contractor - Summer 2008

water ballot initiative. Parnell later approved
the ballot language after his
decision was rejected in October by
Superior Court Judge Fred Torrisi, who
disagreed that the ballot initiative was
an appropriation.
But Judge Torrisi, in his decision allowing
the ballot initiative to go forward,
noted that the proposed rule changes
would ban new large metallic mines for
the foreseeable future, if state voters
decide to make the initiatives law.
In that same court case, Richard
Mylius, DNR’s director of mining, land
and water, said in his deposition that
mining in Alaska would be impossible
under the initiative and that it would
prohibit existing mines from renewing
or obtaining new permits.
“Clean Water Initiative I clearly sets
a much stricter standard than what’s
in place. Essentially new large mines
would not be able to operate, as well as
existing mines with renewals,” Mylius
said, in an interview in mid-May. “Clean
Water III is not so clear about the prohibitions
… it’s pretty vague about the
standard that they’re setting.”
Mining industry groups have joined
forces with Alaska Native corporations
and other support industry organizations
to provide information about the
state’s mining industry and the impact
of the proposed ballot initiatives.
NANA, the for-profit Native regional
corporation in northwest Alaska and a
partner in the Red Dog zinc and lead
mine, has released a 16-page document
explaining the ballot issue, its
potential impacts to the mining industry
and the economic impacts of the
state’s largest mine contributor – Red
Dog – to the region and to Alaska.
“Circulated under the guise of
“clean water” petitions, these initiatives
would devastate the economy of
large parts of Alaska by shutting down
existing and future mining operations
– and potentially impacting other economic
sectors, such as oil and gas,”
NANA said, in its report. The initiatives
“…essentially rewrite Alaska’s environmental
laws without public hearing
or legislative oversight and establishes
a standard so high no one can meet it
– not even municipalities with the most
advanced treatment systems.”
Patricia Liles is a freelance writer
living in Fairbanks.