ATLIN – After careful consideration of the proposed Tulsequah Chief mine, a project approval certificate has been issued to Redfern Resources, Minister of Sustainable Resource Management Stan Hagen and Minister of Energy and Mines Richard Neufeld announced today.
The approval is subject to stringent conditions. The project is expected to bring a much-needed economic boost to northwestern B.C.
“Moving ahead with this mine will bring a variety of jobs to the area, while addressing First Nations and environmental considerations,” said Neufeld. “We made a New Era commitment to encourage mineral exploration to revitalize the province's mining industry. Approving this project is part of the plan.”
“This decision is about achieving balance and moving toward resolution and increased certainty for all concerned,” said Hagen. “It is based on serious consultation and accommodation of First Nation interests, more so than any previous resource decision in B.C.”
The current proposal is to develop a 2,250-tonne-per-day underground copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver mine at the old mine site. The company plans to invest $148 million to develop the mine and upgrade the access road.
The construction phase is expected to create 300 new jobs. Another 260 direct and indirect jobs will be created for mining operations. The project will result in elimination of the acid rock drainage currently seeping from the old mine site.
“We have offered to the Taku River Tlingits that the province will work with them to develop a land use plan for the area,” Hagen said. “However, concluding a planning protocol with the Tlingits is not a precondition to the project approval.
“Comprehensive and detailed conditions will apply to protect the environment, to respond to the concerns the Taku River Tlingits have raised about the project and to foster economic and social well-being in the region.”
“We have taken considerable time…to review the implications associated with making a decision on the proposed Tulsequah Chief Mine Redevelopment Project,” the ministers write in their reasons for decision. “In addition to the interests of the Taku River Tlingits, the province must also bear Redfern’s interests in mind in considering the overall public interest of the people of British Columbia, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal.”
Further information on the project and the full certificate and reasons for decision are on the Web at eao.gov.bc.ca
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contact:
Graham Currie
Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management
250 356-2862 |
