Public Hearings for New Prosperity Set
Monday, June 24, 2013 @ 3:47 AM
Williams Lake, B.C. – The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has announced dates for public hearings on the revised “New Prosperity” copper-gold mine project.
The Taseko Mines project, located about 125 kms southwest of Williams Lake, has had its troubles in the past. Initially approved by the Provincial government in 2010, the federal reviewers said no, because of the environmental impact to Fish (Biny) Lake.
A revised plan for dealing with tailings was submitted, but the Environmental Impact Statement that accompanied it, was not, in the view of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, “sufficient”.
So, Taseko has since re-submitted, and late last week, the CEAA announced public hearings on the project will start in July.
The Federal Review Panel Public hearings will start in Williams Lake on July 22nd. There will be “topic Specific “ hearing sessions that will see experts present technical information relevant to the environmental assessment of the project. Those sessions will start on July 26 in Williams Lake. There will be Community hearing session in selected Aboriginal communities. These sessions are expected to take place in Xeni Gwet’in, Tsi Del Del (Alexis Creek Band), Yunesit’in (Stone Band), Tl’esqox (Toosey Band), Tl’etinqox (Anaham Band), Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Band) and Esketemc (Alkali Lake Band), starting August 6.
The public hearings will wrap with a closing remarks session slated to start in the week of August 19th in Williams Lake.
The project is a $1.1 billion dollar investment that proposes an open pit mine that will produce 108 million pounds of copper and 247 thousand ounces of gold per year over it’s 20 year lifetime.
Comments
More jobs for more people in BC for 20 years. I support it. People need to work. People need jobs. People need to do something of value for someone else. In this case, gathering some of our natural resources to share with others on the planet who are willing to buy it from us. That is what makes the whole world go around. Otherwise, if nobody does anything, nothing happens and nobody has anything.
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