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As the Pebble mine battle trudges forward, a representative for "Alaskans Against the Mining Shutdown" last week made a pitch to Kenai business leaders on the perceived perils of clean water initiatives heading toward the November ballot.

If approved by voters, the initiatives would shut down all mining in Alaska, according to Tim Sullivan, the group's field director.

The ballot initiatives, according to supporters, would protect Alaska waterways, streams, rivers and lakes from pollutants resulting from mineral mining operations.

Sullivan said what the clean water initiatives "really say" is a large-scale metal mine may not release any toxic pollutant into any water; water like Anchorage or Juneau drinking water cannot be discharged into Red Dog Creek; and mining wastes including overburden, waste rock and tailings may not be stored within 1,000 feet of any river, stream, lake or tributary.

To illustrate his point, Sullivan cited an official in Anchorage who started to spill a glass of tap water into a creek, but stopped short, saying the proposed clean-water act would prohibit it.

Ballot initiative language says licenses and permits may not be granted for a large-scale metallic operation that would allow discharges of toxic pollutants in a measurable amount that will have an impact on human health or on any stage of the life cycle of salmon into any surface or subsurface water or tributary.

Permits also would not be granted for an entity that stores or disposes of metallic mineral mining wastes that could result in the discharge of sulfuric acid, other acids, dissolved metals, toxic pollutants the would affect surface or subsurface water used for human consumption or salmon spawning, rearing, migration or propagation.

The language of the initiative says the mining waste storage provision does not apply to existing large-scale metallic mineral mining operations that have received all federal, state and local permits, but Sullivan said the grandfather clause does not work.

"Mines are always looking to expand and need to apply for more permits," he told members of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce.

If the clean water initiatives are approved, Sullivan said mining would not be possible in Alaska.

"Mining has 3,500 direct jobs in the state," he said. "The mining industry employs workers in 110 communities."

In addition to the direct mining jobs, Sullivan said thousands of other jobs would be affected because mines and mining employees purchase goods and services from local businesses.

A mining shutdown also would stop significant sources of revenue to the state and to Native corporations, he said.

According to Sullivan, mining provides $175 million a year in royalties, rents, fees and taxes paid to the state; $170 million a year in payments to Alaska Native corporations; and $14 million a year to local government in the form of property taxes and payments in lieu of taxes.

Existing mines including the Red Dog Mine, Fort Knox, Greens Creek near Juneau and the Pogo mine at Delta Junction would be shut down, he said. All new mines would be prevented, as would new exploration mining including Donlin Creek and Pebble.

Sullivan asked chamber members to "sign up to oppose the mining shutdown, join Alaskans Against the Mining Shutdown and talk to your neighbors about what the initiatives mean."

Phil Hermanek can be reached at phillip.hermanek@peninsulaclarion.com.