The Alaska Contractor - Summer 2008
The Alaska Contractor - Summer 2008
The Alaska Contractor - Summer 2008
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whether the second measure should<br />
be put to a public vote, a challenge<br />
from industry and <strong>Alaska</strong> Native corporations.<br />
A decision is expected by<br />
mid-July, in order to allow the Aug. 26<br />
primary ballot to be properly printed.<br />
Supporters of the ballot initiatives<br />
agreed with opponents in that having<br />
two similar initiatives on the ballot<br />
would be confusing to state voters.<br />
Additionally, the ballot sponsors<br />
believe that the second initiative, Ballot<br />
Measure 4, accomplishes their principal<br />
goals, which would set new rules<br />
overriding existing state and federal<br />
regulations regarding water handling<br />
and release, and the storage and disposal<br />
of mining waste – which includes<br />
overburden, tailings created after mine<br />
processing, and rock considered waste<br />
as it does not contain enough minerals<br />
to be processed economically.<br />
Both areas of mine operations are<br />
already regulated by a variety of state<br />
and federal rules, according to state<br />
regulators, who were prohibited at<br />
press time from talking about the specifics<br />
of the remaining ballot initiative.<br />
“In general, any mine discharges<br />
have to meet clean water standards.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y allow certain amount of toxic pollutants<br />
described, in amounts proven<br />
not to be harmful to humans or fish,”<br />
said Ed Fogels, director of the state’s<br />
Office of Project Management and Permitting<br />
in the Department of Natural<br />
Resources. “Those standards are federally<br />
blessed, and so the system is already<br />
in place to regulate the release of<br />
those toxic agents. Natural waters contain<br />
many of those agents and many are<br />
required for life to exist in those areas.”<br />
Without discussing the specifics of<br />
the proposed new rules, Fogels said<br />
that <strong>Alaska</strong>n voters should carefully<br />
read Ballot Measure 4 before making<br />
a decision at election time.<br />
Called the <strong>Alaska</strong> Clean Water Initiative<br />
III, it was supported by a voter<br />
signature drive carried out by the Anchorage-based<br />
Renewal Resources Coalition,<br />
an organization critical of mining<br />
in general and in particular, the proposed<br />
Pebble project in southwestern <strong>Alaska</strong>.<br />
Still in the exploration stage, Pebble<br />
has employed as many as 700 people<br />
during the seasonal summer work<br />
program in the past recent years. Last<br />
year, project developers spent about
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