With the help of our wonderful signature gatherers, we gathered over 60,000 signatures for both initiatives in about 60 days - not to mention it was done in the middle of winter.  This has never been done before. 

 

Think about all of those people, from Barrow to Ketchikan, who stopped to take off their gloves, warm up a frozen pen, and sign the petition to protect Alaska's clean water.  It's overwhelming.

 

We turned in the signature booklets on January 15th, and although the Division of Elections will take another 60 days to count and certify the signatures, we are confident that we delivered sufficient signatures, from over 30 districts, to qualify the initiatives to go on the ballot later this year.

 

Our government wasn't listening, so now Alaskan voters will get a chance to establish reasonable, common sense standards for large new mines operating near our drinking water and salmon streams.

 

Now, give yourselves a well-deserved pat on the back, take a deep breath, take a break, spend some time with your family and friends, and then get ready for the next battle.

 

The mining industry will kick off a massive PR effort to convince Alaskans that the Clean Water Initiative will stop all mining in Alaska.  That's a lie.  The plain language of the initiative makes it clear that it will only apply to new, large mines.  It will have no effect on existing mines, like Red Dog.

 

Keep talking to your friends and neighbors, keep writing letters to the editor, keep fighting to tell the truth to Alaskans, and help shape a future that we can be proud of.