MINE Your Own Business

I had not been interested at all in the Alaska Clean Waters Initiative that goes before the voting public in August, under “Ballot Measure 4”. But then something called upon my interest to at least get up to speed on this impotent issue, plus some kids at a local Internet coffee house were laughing at a “tampon” joke, somehow affiliated with the “in-ish”. Really, the web site for the Renewable Resource Coalition has a backdrop mountain scene that looks like a gigantic “Green” tampon. No wonder the kids were laughing. Even the kids’ mom laughed when she found out what was so funny. Kids and summertime fun! I have a great idea to save energy, an initiative to allow school on the even years only! And what is with this Renewable Resource Coalition crap anyway? It has nothing to do with renewable energy, just a front for a segregated community bent on keeping a piece of Alaska protected away, especially from development. And didn’t the Iraq war teach us to beware of “coalition” crap? But what bothers me about the “Green Tampon” initiative is this. It targets only the metals mining industry and leaves alone the oil industry which is time wise renewable, leaves alone the timber industry which is also time wise renewable or leaves alone any other heavy duty industry that needs policing along the way to prosperity. Deep throating for coal, what’s that? So had the initiative not discriminated – by targeting only one industry – then maybe I would have been prone to vote against anything and anyone that could pollute another’s drinking water or affect the health of the salmon spawning waters. So how and why did this initiative get so far along the way but missed out inclusion of the oil industry? And it should have included timber “mining” and coal “mining”. Damn, we are still feeling the effects of the EXXON wreck upon Bligh Reef, and we all know what happened to any punitive punishment! I think it was killed away by an initiative by a coalition of Supreme Court in-Justices. So this target on a lonely industry is bothersome. It is bar none far unfair in my book. See, we could vote on this initiative and not one ounce of gold would ever be mined away from the Bristol Bay area. But what if oil were discovered tomorrow in that same area? And with emphasis on off shore drilling for oil soon to be a reality in everybody’s backyard, including pools and cesspools, would the oil industry be confronted with the same disgruntlement? No way. So after reading the 2-page initiative and getting a headache every time the initiative insisted that it was only an attempt to not allow “metals” mining, I cannot and will not vote for passage. The initiative is a waste of time. If we were serious about pollution and our future, it would not be presented now before the ballot court – we the people – with such a whittled down agenda. In the long list of “toxic pollutant” nasty crap found in the appendix of the initiative - fallout from the mining process - I did see listed industry spill-over hazards like BETX. That is benzene, ethylene, toluene and xylene - components found in crude oil extraction. It is especially abundant in North Slope crude oil. This stuff makes its way to Valdez then it is allowed to evaporate into the atmosphere. It occurs in metals mining as it also occurs in oil extraction. So this initiative should also target the oil industry, as the list of “toxic pollutants” as defined by the experts does not discriminate. But it seems as though through creative editing, this Alaska Clean Water Initiative - which could become law by majority joy - it was specifically designed to leave the oil industry alone. Bothersome it is! See, there is renewed interest in allowing tankers to carry crude oil or liquefied natural gas down through the Bearing Strait, right smack across the waters of Bristol Bay. When an environmental initiative gets this far along, it should be an all inclusive attempt to coral concerns, as to not include it all allows for creative side bar arguments in the courts of law when somebody along the way decides to target another industry - the sentiment that “they” are picking on us goes a long way. So to the home office of the “Green Tampon” boys - the board of directors of the Renewable Resource Coalition - go back and do your homework. Come back with an all-inclusive plan that goes to show that there isn’t a hidden agenda behind this initiative, a manipulative ways and means to disallow metals mining but at the same time gives the oil industry carte blanc “go ahead” do as you please. And you get to keep your private fishing estates. In closing, it is my belief that the initiative is a selfish measure that protects the interest of a minority. Sure it is a world-class fisheries resource, especially for sport fishing. But my take on the initiative’s agenda is that it follows that age-old sentiment, “not in my backyard”! So this initiative needs work. It needs inclusion wherein all of industry is treated equally with respect to “adversary”. Back to the drawing board “Green Tampon” boys! Hey, at least they are on the right track with the “Green”! As far as the “tampon”, well maybe their web site needs a makeover also. So I give Ballot Measures 4 a NO vote of confidence and continue to believe that legalized gambling through casinos just sucks the life out of the elderly and aerial wolf hunting is for punks afraid to get their feet wet. And the reality of the taxpayers footing the bill for a member of the Corrupt Bastard’s Club to campaign? No, No, No. Hey, it is another “Big Wild NO” for Ted, a “Big Wild NO” for Don and please Thy coalition, NO more Murkowski(s)! One more thing about initiatives. Cab fares in Anchorage are up, as the people refused to deregulate when we had the chance!

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