This quotes often from a story from the Anchorage Daily News’ Sunday, Feb. 17 edition page B-2, concerning Canadian mining company Teck Cominco, the Red Dog Mine operator and its “poisoning” of Lake Roosevelt. The lake is held back by the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, Wash., from the smelter tailings [slag] that were dumped and have “leached” for almost a century into and through the Columbia River by Teck Cominco, to end up in Lake Roosevelt.

 While the dumping ended almost 12 years ago into the r iver from Trail, British Columbia, Canada through the river system across the Canadian border into the United States, the accumulation of heavy metals have turned the lake into an “environmental nightmare.”

The article states that Teck Cominco refused to comply with a U.S. District Federal Appeals Courts decision, which the U.S. Supreme Court let stand for the first time, to hold Teck Cominco liable under the U.S. Superfund law for cross-border pollution. Some of the lead and zinc from the Red Dog Mine is processed at the company’s Trail, B.C., smelter. What was Teck Cominco’s answer to the suit brought about by the Colville Indian Tribe initially, and later joined by the state of Washington to enforce the court’s decision? Teck Cominco refused to comply, arguing that U.S. Superfund laws don’t apply to foreign companies.

At this time no one knows who will pay for and clean up the 26 billion pounds of hazardous waste, comprised of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, copper, lead and zinc. It is expected to cost a billion dollars to clean up.

What kind of mining laws do we need to protect Alaska and Alaskans? Do these foreign mining companies have the right to pollute Alaska? Should the state of Alaska protect our rivers and habitat, and prohibit damaging mining methods?

Should the governor be responsible for spearheading the change in mining methods to ensure that Alaska will no longer be in danger from these companies destroying habitat, and the safe food supply from our environment?

Was the governor correct in the method of disclosure for her choice for Prop. 4? Her vote is her business, but her early announcement no doubt possibly tainted the election.

The Anchorage Daily News had her vote highlighted in bold red banners on its Internet site days before the election. So much for impartiality, and letting people make up their own minds when it comes to their state business.

Mike Sparks

Wasilla