Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Gets Provincial EA Approval

Thursday, January 14, 2010 01:35 PM

Williams Lake, BC. - Taseko Mines Limited (proponent) has received an environmental assessment certificate for its proposed Prosperity Gold-Copper Project which is located approximately 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake

Environment Minister Barry Penner and Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Blair Lekstrom made the decision to grant the environmental assessment (EA) certificate after considering the review led by B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO).

The project is a conventional open-pit mining project with a 20-year operating life and a production capacity of 70,000 tonnes of mineral ore per day. The ore concentrate will be transported by truck to the existing Gibraltar Mine Concentrate Load-out facility near Macalister,
54 kilometres north of Williams Lake.

The project is expected to contribute approximately $340 million to provincial GDP annually, and $400 million in provincial revenue and $43 million to local and regional government over the life of the project.

The EAO assessment report concluded the project is not likely to result in any significant adverse effect, with the exception of the loss of Fish Lake and Little Fish Lake. Given the finding of a significant adverse effect, the EAO's report provided ministers with a number of
factors to consider prior to making their decision on whether or not to issue an EA certificate for the project.

The provincial EA certificate contains 103 commitments the proponent must implement throughout various stages of the project. Key commitments include:

* Implementing a fish and fish habitat compensation plan to offset the loss of fish and fish habitat, and provide fishing opportunities for the public and First Nations. This will include the establishment of a new lake in the vicinity of Fish Lake.
* Monitoring of water management, tailings storage and other facilities to ensure there is no discharge from the mine site during operation.
* Developing a wildlife habitat compensation plan that includes the Ministry of Environment, the Canadian Wildlife Service and First Nations.
* Implementing archaeological resource management measures to avoid or mitigate adverse effects on identified resources and culturally sensitive areas.

Before the project can proceed, it will require a federal environmental assessment. A federal review panel has been established and that process is ongoing. The proponent will also need to obtain various provincial licences, leases and other approvals, as well as relevant
federal approvals.

The total capital cost of the project is approximately $800 million and annual operating costs are expected to be $200 million. The project is expected to directly result in an average of 375 jobs during both the two-year construction period and the 20-year operational life of the mine.

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Posted on Thursday, January 14, 2010 01:35 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: BC Mary on January 14 2010 3:10 PM

Let me see if I got this right ... the Prosperity plan is for an open pit gold/copper mine,

OK, got that, an open pit mine.

With hardly any adverse effects except the loss of FISH LAKE and LITTLE FISH LAKE which will be used as tailings ponds,

which is OK because Taseko Mines Ltd. will promise to build two new lakes.

This is where my head starts hurting.

If Taseko Mines is capable of building two new lakes ... then wouldn't it be better for them to simply build a tailings facility which won't for chrissake require the destruction of two god-given lakes??
.

Posted by: bocacassidy on January 14 2010 4:48 PM

The comments of BCMary are fatuous.....
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the planet Earth combined ...mostly unnamed and never fished
Fish lake is already impacted by the natural leaching of copper oxides from vast underlying bodies of ore
The benefits produced for the BC economy vastly exceed the value of these two insignifigant potholes
Finally , Prosperity is crown land ....not someone's private hideaway
Get real !

Posted by: ammonra on January 14 2010 5:25 PM

Presumably they are called Fish Lake and Little Fish Lake because they have living fish in them. Is that likely? Despite natural, and obviously very minor, copper leaching the two lakes support living, swimming fish.

Hey, lets use corporate common snese, lets kill of the two lakes because they are located nice and conveniently, and build two new lakes further away to replace(?) them. Does that include fish and all?

I would have thought that was a rather fatuous proposition, to kill off two pristine, glorious water bodies and replace them with artificial, fake lakes and throw a few fish in them just to prove how environementally responsible we are.

Why not just take the contaminant crap to the new "lakes" and dump it there, or does that reduce the profits?

Posted by: gamblor on January 14 2010 6:13 PM

plenty of places to fish. the gold and copper in your computer has to come from somewhere. Anyone opposed to this mine should recycle their computer and abstain from ever using one again.

Posted by: polar7018 on January 14 2010 6:35 PM

right on gamblor,some of the clowns that comment on here should think where the copper etc thats needed for almost every gadget, including cars, tvs etc,comes from. or maybe get the raw materials from some other country and keep canada so green.

Posted by: seamutt on January 14 2010 6:35 PM

Where did the copper in your life come from, duh. I know it just materialized on the store shelf just like food.

Posted by: He spoke on January 14 2010 7:19 PM

I think BC Mary has a good point

Posted by: ammonra on January 14 2010 10:33 PM

Gamblor and the idiot polar7018 and duh duh seamutt should think before they spew nonsense. I have my computer in my house. The gold and copper and whatever else has already come from somewhere. This mine contributed not a molecule to it and is being set up to compete with those which did. Now why do you twiast and distort what was said into idiocy. Use the new "lakes" for the pollution. Leave the pristine lakes alone. Nowhere, I repeat, nowhere, have I said do not develop the mine. Learn to reasd and don't be so stupid!

Posted by: northman on January 15 2010 7:38 AM

"The gold and copper and whatever else has already come from somewhere."

-Thats a weak argument against the last three posts ammonra, simply because you dont know where those metals came from and how they were obtained.

-The reason they are using the lakes is for the water. They put tailings under water to remove them from exposure to oxygen so they cant oxidize and create acid rock drainage. The two new lakes will most likey come from when the open pits are exhausted and filled with water.
-If people really knew what natural occuring ore bodies and elements occur in geology around here they wouldnt be fishing half these lakes. I know of creeks and lakes around here where you can pan a natural amalgymation of mercury out of the gravels with a gold pan. As well there are many creeks that cut right through sulfide bearing ore bodies as well which increase the metal content and acid in the water.

Posted by: ammonra on January 15 2010 10:04 AM

My comments weren't meant as an argument against the mine, nor against metals and the mines that produce them. I am perfectly well aware that they are necessary, and support mining when done with proper regard for the environment. I want BC kept as "Beautiful BC", not degraded lake by lake.

BC Mary and I both expressed a valid opinion. If others don't agree with it, so be it, but that gives nobody the right to treat her and my opinions with ignorant contempt and making snickering, snide remarks. The twisting of our comments expressing concern for killing living lakes into being opposed to mining is dishonest, but is what gamblor did, shown by his comment about fishing. Polar 7018 was more directly insulting referring to "clowns", presumably in reference to BC Mary and myself, since we were the only two to post comments to which his comment could even remotely apply. Seamutt had to use the idiot inference, "duh" coupled with a gratuitous remark denoting an accusation of low intelligence. None of that was necessary and is just an example of the type of postings which demean Opinion250. Your own comments, particularly the last paragraph, on the other hand, I have no problems with. You made it without finding it necessary to insult me. Thank you. I also found it informative.

Posted by: BC Mary on January 16 2010 9:01 PM

As many people should know by now this is the mine owned by Taseco Mines Ltd., who also own Harmony, Gibralter and Aleva Their proposal is to use Fish Lake for a tailings pond.

Fish Lake is part of the Fraser River Watershed!

Anyone who is not worried yet, needs to think about the big question of whether the ore will be processed on site. Of course it will be.

And what is used in refining Gold? Why CYANIDE of course.

Many thanks to "He spoke" and "Ammonra" who stood up for a citizen's right to offer an opinion on such an important subject as this.

Posted by: BC Mary on January 16 2010 11:10 PM

Here's an article you won't want to miss, on the topic of Fish Lake ... with a beautiful photo, too.

[http://powellriverpersuader.blogspot.com/]

Posted by: Gary E on January 17 2010 10:54 AM

bocacassidy says that Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.
The problem is he doesn't think outside the box. This is a precident in BC and for Canada. Allowing Billion dollar corporations to take the easy way. As BCMary states its very hard to figure why they can build two other lakes and ruin two natural lakes.
I live near a lake that sits over volcanic heat vents. People on the lakes edge heat their homes from the vents. My newly drilled well has a slight sulphurous smell. The fishing is great and there is nothing wrong with them, as in most natural lakes in BC.
The only reason that Taseko wants to use the lakes is because they can save money. I'll say this right here and now. If they don't build two new lakes with the dame mean depth and surface area before they start taking off the overburden it will never happen.
As far as it being Crown Land, that is in dispute with the natives. There is a court case in progress (for over a year) So Gordon Campbell has no right to trump a court case before "justice is not only done but is seen to have been done".