By Margaret Bauman
Alaska Journal of Commerce

Alaska Superior Court Judge Fred Torrisi has ordered state officials to expedite printing of petition booklets for an Alaska Clean Water ballot initiative.

Torrisi's decision on Oct. 18 would clear the way for the petition booklets to be available at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention, which runs from Oct. 22 through Oct. 27 in Fairbanks.

Backers of the Alaska Clean Water ballot initiative, which could determine the future of mining in Southwest Alaska, have until Jan. 15 to gather 32,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot in the fall of 2008.

The initiative asks Alaska voters to decide on new restrictions on large-scale mineral mines to prevent the discharge of pollutants into water used for drinking or salmon habitat.

Torrisi handed down his initial ruling in Dillingham on Oct. 17, allowing for the ballot initiative process to begin. Late on Oct. 17, attorneys for the state lieutenant governor's office entered a pleading with the court, saying that the state could not meet the deadline imposed by the judge before Oct. 29, two days after the end of the AFN convention.

Proponents of the ballot initiative want to circulate the initiative petitions at the AFN convention, which attracts residents from all over Alaska. Alaska has 40 election districts, and all 40 districts must be represented by the signers of the petitions.

Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, said he feels residents of the Bristol Bay region will support the initiative. "I think the main concern is preserving the fisheries-based lifestyle we have out here," said Edgmon, who attended recent hearings on Pebble project related issues in Iliamna, Naknek and Dillingham.

The proposed Pebble project, to develop copper, gold and molybdenum resources in Southwest Alaska, is seen by proponents as a potential major economic boost to the region, which has a fisheries- and subsistence-based economy. Northern Dynasty Minerals, a Canadian firm, has already invested millions of dollars in exploration, and with new partner Anglo American plans to invest millions more.

The partners said Oct. 4 that they are targeting completion of a pre-feasibility study in December 2008, a feasibility study by 2011 and commencement of commercial production by 2015.

Opponents of the mine fear that developing the project at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed could result in potential pollution of the Bristol Bay fisheries, which are prized by commercial, sport and subsistence users.

"If mining can live up to a stricter set of regulations, that's fine let the mine go forward ", said Art Hackney, an Anchorage advertising executive whose firm represents the Renewable Resources Coalition, a group opposed to the mine. "But the regulations have not kept pace with the scale of what mining is today," said Hackney, noting that the project would employ huge dams to hold toxic wastes in an area known for earthquakes. "It's never been done before," he said. "There are not regulations to take this into consideration.

"They say 'let the process work' but there is no process," he said. Hackney also expressed concern that eight other mining companies in the 1,000 square mile area would also begin development.

Earlier this year, Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell denied petitioners the ability to put the Alaska Clean Water initiative on the ballot. His ruling was appealed through the courts. Under the new ruling, Parnell now has until Oct. 22 to supply the signature petitions and to allow Alaskans to start signing the initiative.

The Renewable Resources Coalition issued a statement Oct. 17, saying that the lieutenant governor should allow the initiative to move forward.

Whether he decides to appeal the court ruling to the Supreme Court or not, in fairness, the lieutenant governor should allow the petition to move forward, spokesmen for the coalition said.

Margaret Bauman can be reached at margie.bauman@alaskajournal.com