A Western Alaska town is considering barricading itself against a notorious chemical used in mining.

The Bethel City Council could vote June 12 to prohibit industrial amounts of cyanide from being shipped, docked or stored within the city limits.

The proposal is a reaction to the large Donlin Creek gold prospect being explored by one of the world's largest gold mining companies about 150 miles upstream of Bethel, ban supporters said this week.

If it is developed as a mine, Donlin's operators say, they would likely use cyanide to recover the gold.

Perched on the mouth of the Kuskowkim River, Bethel would be a strategic location for shipments of cyanide, fuel and other raw materials to Donlin.

Some people in Bethel are not pleased about the prospect. Cyanide is highly toxic and in the past few decades it has leaked from Lower 48 mines into rivers and streams. Recently, the operators of the Fort Knox gold mine near Fairbanks discovered a cyanide seep onto its tailings dam.

"If (cyanide) gets into our creeks and rivers, we're the losers," said Bethel Vice Mayor Stanley "Tundy" Rodgers.

He's the main proponent of the Bethel ban, which is up for a public hearing and possible vote on June 12.

Donlin's operators said they are considering shipping a powder form of cyanide on barges up the Kuskokwim River if they develop the mine.

"We're looking closely at Bethel. It is the commercial hub for the Yukon-Kuskokwim region," said Stan Foo, Barrick Gold Corp.'s manager for Donlin.

Barrick will get a legal opinion about the proposed cyanide ban and will meet with city officials to describe the company's cyanide handling practices at its other mines, Foo said.

Bethel is a transportation hub for 56 Native villages in the region. Many of the supplies for the Yukon-Kuskokwim are either floated by barge from Bethel or flown from the town's airport, Bethel Mayor Dan Leinberger said.

He isn't convinced a cyanide ban is needed.

"I'd like to see whoever brings through the chemicals have some type of safety protocol ... If Bethel passes ordinances prohibiting cooperation with (Donlin), we'd be bypassed. We'd be cutting off our noses to spite our face," he said.

State regulators said they likely will have no role in the debate because shipment of hazardous materials is a federal concern.

Still, they wonder about its implications.

"It seems to open the door to any village along a river having the right to control what kind of materials would be shipped to upriver communities," said Tom Crafford, a permit manager for the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.

But for some in Bethel, the risk posed by large amounts of cyanide in town is unacceptable.

Some would rather Donlin not use cyanide at all. The mine is about 15 miles from the main stem of the Kuskokwim.

Rodgers said he became alarmed when he heard about the Fort Knox cyanide seep. Though the seep didn't migrate off the mine site, Fort Knox has spent more than $2 million so far this year to deal with it.

Bethel Councilman Eric Middlebrook said he'll support the ban.

"It will keep the city from being surprised to learn that someone is moving large quantities of toxic materials across our docks," he said.

The city rule wouldn't prevent Donlin Creek from barging cyanide or other chemicals up the Kuskokwim River, as long as the mine operator brought less than 50 gallons per month into Bethel.

If built, Donlin would be one of the state's biggest open-pit mines, producing an estimated 1 million ounces of gold per year for 15 to 20 years, Foo said.

Barrick hasn't filed for permits to develop Donlin. The Toronto-based firm is working on a feasibility study and plans to finish it later in the year, Foo said.

Bethel wouldn't be the first community in the U.S. to enact a cyanide-related ban. In 1998, Montana voters banned the use of cyanide at one type of open-pit mine. They reapproved the ban in 2004.

In the last few years, five Colorado county governments have banned the use of cyanide in mining; some of them banned the toxic chemical at all open-pit mines.

The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled against efforts to overturn the bans. The court said the state's mining law requires mine operators to comply with local land use regulations.