CNQ then TSE is a preferred way to do it.
A few have done that. Reg load is lighter on the TSE than the TSXV. And have some have seen that is not an inconsiderable
issue.
CURRENT PROJECT
The Kensington Gold Project now encompasses and includes both the Kensington and Jualin prospects. The Kensington Gold Project is located on federal land overseen by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), on State of Alaska tidelands, and on private patented property.
In July of 1992, the USFS approved a Plan of Operations for the Kensington Gold Project. The plan called for underground mining; ore process, including onsite cyanidation; a tailings impoundment; marine discharge of process wastewater; and various support facilities, including the use of liquefied petroleum gas for power generation.
In August 1997, the USFS approved a revised Plan of Operation for the Kensington Gold Project. The modified plan called for offsite processing of floatation concentrates; placement of tailings in a dry tailings facility accessed through a pipeline, with 25% of tailings to be paste backfilled in the underground workings; diesel fuel would be used for power generation; and tailing slurry would be piped to a dewatering plant and the reclaimed water returned for reuse.
In November 2001, Coeur Alaska, Inc. (Coeur) submitted an amendment to its approved 1998 Plan of Operations to the USFS. The amendment modified site access and eliminated the dry tailings facility in favor of placing the tailings into an impoundment in Lower Slate Lake. In December of 2004, the USFS finalized the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and issued the Record of Decision for the modified Kensington project.
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is the lead State agency involved in permitting mine projects in Alaska. State agencies involved in the Kensington Project include the Departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Conservation, Fish & Game, and Law. A large mine project team has been established with representatives from these agencies to coordinate state permitting activities for the Kensington Gold Project.
What it can cost to close in Alaska or why a body should think about dry stacking.
GREENS CREEK MINE
DNR is responsible for coordinating the State of Alaska's permitting activities for the Greens Creek lead-zinc-silver-gold mine. The mine is located in Southeast Alaska on the Northern end of Admiralty Island National Monument, approximately 25 km South of Juneau. It is situated on federal land administered by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The mine is a joint venture between Kennecott Minerals and Hecla and is operated by the Kennecott Greens Creek Mining Company. The company employs 270 workers and they have an annual payroll of $26 million. The mine is a significant part of the economy in Southeast Alaska.
Recent efforts by the state's large mine project team (including personnel from DEC, DF&G, DGC and DNR) include completing the five-year renewal of the DEC and DNR bonding requirements. The financial assurances for the project were increased from approximately $6 million to $24.4 million in 2002.
Current efforts include working as a cooperating agency with the USFS and EPA on the necessary permits for the expansion of the tailings facility. An EIS is being completed by the USFS as part of this permitting process. This expansion will require the approval of a revised solid waste permit from DEC as well as additional revisions to the financial assurances.
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Greens Creek Tailings Disposal Final Environmental Impact Statement Volumes 1 and 2 dated November 2003
KGCMC General Plan of Operations, Appendices 1,3,11 & 14
Appendix 1 – Freshwater Monitoring Plan
Appendix 3 – Tailings Impoundment
Appendix 11 – Production Rock Piles
Appendix 11 - Attachment B – Site Specific Plan – Site 23
Appendix 11 - Attachment C – Inactive Site Monitoring and Maintenance Plan
Appendix 14 – Reclamation Plan
Appendix 14 – Attachment A1, Reclamation Plan Cost Estimate Revision dated October 22, 2003
Permits
On November 7, 2003, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) issued waste management permit #0211-BA001 to Kennecott Greens Creek Mining Company (KGCMC) for the continued disposal of treated tailings from a zinc, lead, silver and gold recovery facility to a lease area with an increased footprint to a total of 123.3 acres (inclusive of disposal area and treatment infrastructure adjacent to the disposal area) and various portions within the underground workings of the mine, and the disposal of waste rock (also known as production rock) to production rock disposal sites 23 and D. The above-ground tailings facility is projected to accept tailings up to a final projected total tailings footprint area of 62.2 acres and total volume of 5.3 million cubic yards (9.6 million tons). The facility includes a marine outfall with diffuser that is used for discharge of waters from the facility under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The above ground production rock facility has a total capacity of 1.2 million cubic yards.
ADEC Waste Management Permit #0211-BA001
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (NPDES) - AK004320-6
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