Taseko Mines is challenging a federal review panel’s conclusion that the construction of a proposed billion dollar gold mine near Williams Lake will have a significant adverse environmental impact, while B.C. First Nations leaders are applauding the report.
“This project must go ahead and will be of enormous benefit to British Columbia and Canada,” said Russell Hallbauer president and CEO Taseko Mines.
“It will provide thousands of person years of employment and billions of dollars in new tax revenue. With any major project there will be different views and some trade-offs, but we are confident the federal government can and will approve this project.”
The Federal Review Panel looking at the proposed New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project announced on Oct. 30 that it is submitting its environmental assessment to the federal Minister of the Environment Leona Aglukkaq.
The report follows a public hearing held by the panel from July 22 to Aug. 23, 2013 and includes the conclusions, rationale and recommendations of the panel.
Hallbauer argues that the risks associated with the project are modest, and the social and economic benefits are enormous.
However, the review panel’s report raises some concerns about Taseko’s proposal for the construction of a large open pit gold-copper mine 125-km south west of Williams Lake, B.C.
The $1 billion project involves the construction of an onsite mill and support infrastructure, a tailings storage facility, a 125-km long electrical transmission line, explosives factory and magazine, and an access road.
“The panel concludes that the New Prosperity Project would result in several significant adverse environmental effects; the key ones being effects on water quality in Fish Lake (Teztan Biny), on fish and fish habitat in Fish Lake, on current use of lands and resources for traditional purposes by certain Aboriginal groups, and on their cultural heritage,” said the report.
“The panel also concludes there would be a significant adverse cumulative effect on the South Chilcotin grizzly bear population, unless necessary cumulative effects mitigation measures are effectively implemented.”
In response, Hallbauer said the report agrees with Taseko’s assessment of the project in most respects, but that there would not be significant adverse effects.
“Taseko is committed to protecting Fish Lake, and fish habitat, and we strongly disagree with the panel’s findings related to the potential impact on the water quality, fish and fish habitat of Fish Lake,” he said.
“Taseko will challenge these findings as they contradict best practices in place around the world today and expert opinion and analysis.”
In sharp contrast, the Tsilhqot’in Nation argues New Prosperity mine proposal should be rejected because it contains even more concerns and criticisms than the original proposal submitted in 2010.
“In 2010 TML (Taseko Mines Ltd) and Environment Canada stated the rejected proposal was the least environmentally risky of all options, so it comes as absolutely no surprise that this latest proposal has been found to be worse,” said Chief Joe Alphonse, Tribal Chair for the Tsilhqot’in National Government.
“First Nations will be outraged if the federal government accepts this project after rejecting the first one. This report makes it abundantly clear that the only misinformation being put out about this project is the company’s own claims that it has addressed all the issues and that its proposal will present no problems. The federal government now has what it needs to finally put a nail in the coffin.”
The federal government rejected the original proposal in October 2010 because the project would have drained Fish Lake for use as a tailings pond for chemical waste.
However, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency decided in November 2011 that the proposed mine project will undergo a second environmental assessment.
Under Taseko’s new plan, an additional $300 million will be invested to preserve Fish Lake and vital fish habitats by relocating the tailings storage facility two kilometres upstream from the lake and introducing a lake recirculation water management scheme.
However, the federal review panel has serious concerns about Taseko’s seepage mitigation measures and predictions about the concentration of contaminants in Fish Lake.
“The panel has determined that the proposed target water quality objectives for Fish Lake are not likely achievable and, even with expensive water treatment measures, the protection of Fish Lake water quality is unlikely to succeed in the long term,” said the report.
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