PolyMet Updates Status of Environmental Review
Press Release Source: PolyMet Mining Corp. On Friday April 15, 2011, 8:37 am
HOYT LAKES, MINNESOTA--(Marketwire - 04/15/11) - PolyMet Mining Corp. (TSX:POM - News)(AMEX:PLM - News) ("PolyMet" or the "Company") reported today on the status of the environmental review of its NorthMet copper-nickel-precious metals project located in northeastern Minnesota.
PolyMet and the lead agencies - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), US Forest Services (USFS) and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) - expect to finalize detailed modeling work plans by early May. The project, which includes the simplified metallurgical process and reduction in capital costs that the Company announced on February 2, 2011, will then be modeled to evaluate the environmental impacts.
Once final modeling confirms that the project meets state and federal standards required for it to be permitted, the third party contractor hired by the DNR will prepare a preliminary supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS). The preliminary SDEIS will be reviewed by the lead agencies, cooperating agencies (including the US Environmental Protection Agency and tribal governments) and PolyMet, before being finalized for publication and public comment. The lead agencies anticipate publishing the SDEIS for public comment during the fall of 2011.
Brad Moore, PolyMet's Executive Vice President, Environmental & Governmental Affairs stated, "the federal and state agencies involved in the PolyMet environmental review are working together to complete this process. Everyone is committed to producing a document that thoroughly reviews the project impacts and will provide information essential for permitting.
"Since the initial draft EIS, important improvements have been incorporated into the project to reduce the environmental impacts. These enhancements will be described in the SDEIS. We look forward to completion of this important phase of the environmental review process," he con |
