Friday, October 30, 2009

expressed concerns about gold-copper mine near Prince George

Here is an email I sent to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency this morning about the proposed Mount Milligan Gold-Copper Mine Project proposed for a site 155 km northwest of Prince George:

concerns about Mount Milligan proposed mine‏
From: mary mac
Sent: October 30, 2009 9:43:12 AM
To:
mountmilligancsr@ceaa-acee.gc.ca

I attended the federal government hearing (Dept. Fisheries & Oceans & Environment Canada) last Thursday at the Prince George Civic Centre. I am very concerned about this project proceeding on the basis of the "comprehensive assessment report" conducted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. In addition to (unanswered) concerns I have about the Metal Mining Effluent Regulation more generally (the cumulative increasing extent of damage to watersheds & fish bearing waterways in the country as mining projects increase in number -- and unanswered questions around the extent of & results of any subsequent "environmental effects monitoring" around the efffects on fish & other organisms), I have some concerns about this specific Mt. Milligan proposal which I will outline below.

First, I should note I am a resident of Prince George, British Columbia and have lived in this community for the last 10 years. I grew up in the northern interior of British Columbia in nearby Vanderhoof, a town also in relatively close proximity to the proposed mine.

My specific concerns/ comments with respect to the Dept. of Fisheries & Oceans Comprehensive Assessment Review of this particular project are as follows:

1. A recent feasibility study conducted by Terrane Metals reports the gold in the reserve is 31 per cent more, the copper is 33 per cent more (reported in Vancouver Sun October 14, 2009, Prince George Citizen October 14, 2009 & other news outlets) Representatives of Terrane Metals have admitted (CBC radio interview, other media outlets) that the increase in minerals at that site will require additional digging - a deeper & wider pit, more tailings.

I asked the question about this at the hearing last Thursday - the Terrane Metals representative stated that to accommodate the increased mining, they would be applying to the federal government for an amendment in response to which the Department of Fisheries & Oceans stated there would be no triggering event to require further environmental review or amendment pursuant to the Fisheries Act. This current Comprehensive Assessment Report is considering information submitted by the mining company some years ago and is not considering this more current updated feasibility study report by the mining company.

Therefore, it is my submission that the Department of Fisheries & Oceans' Comprehensive Assessment Report has not even studied the full implications of actual proposed mine nor is there any mechanism for them to do this at a further date unless this further information about a bigger mine is reviewed at this stage of the review process. It has not been done. This omission constitutes a serious inadequacy in the review conducted by Fisheries & Oceans to date.

2. An aspect of the Comprehensive Study Assessment was to look at human components, specifically, current use of land & resources for traditional purposes by Aboriginal persons.Ironically during the course of the hearing, the Nak'adzli people on whose traditional territory the mine would operate were staging a demonstration during the course of the hearing outside the Prince George Civic Centre.

I asked the Dept. of Fisheries & Oceans representative about the extent of their study in this regard and what they had done to address this issue, and the response I received led me to believe that discussions with First Nations are very much a work in progress and absolutely not finalized to the extent that they should be considered completed in a comprehensive assessment report. I do not believe this aspect of the Dept. of Fisheries & Oceans obligations under the comprehensive assessment report is adequate enough for this project to proceed. On the basis of the foregoing, it is my submission that this Comprehensive Study Report is inadequate and the full extent of the proposed mining project has not been sufficiently reviewed to be allowed to proceed.

Sincerely,

Mary Mac, Prince George, British Columbia

(the public have until tomorrow to submit comments about this proposed mine to MountMilliganCSR@ceaa-acee.gc.ca).

6 comments:

  1. I agree, completely. I also think that your approach is objective, clear, and logical in the face of short-term money being dangled in front of a massive environment bomb. Mine work, economically or ethically, is not worth the price of ruining northern waterways and forests. Thanks to Mary for presenting her arguments in a concrete fashion. I feel much better knowing that you live in PG.

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  2. I understood this is McLead Lake band traditional territory. They are certainly a lot closer to the mine. McLeod Lake band has already given their approval for the mine.

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  3. to anonymous. . . my understanding is that First Nations traditional territories overlap. In this case the Nak'adzli people are absolutely stating the Mt. Milligan area is in their traditional territory and they have been pretty consistent in their opposition to date

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  4. The McLeod Lake Indian Band rejected Nak'adzli claim and stated that the mine lies within the traditional territory of the McLeod Lake Sekani.
    Band Chief Alec Chingee is on record stating, "In that area, the Nak'adzli Carrier have absolutely no aboriginal title".

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  5. thanks again for the info, anonymous (if you are the same anonymous). I do not purport to be the arbiter of which First Nation has legitimate claim to which territory; however, the Nak'azdli are concerned about and seem to have traditional knowledge of this particular location. Please provide source for Chief Chingee's quote (which I am not about to dispute). The main point I am making is there is something awry with this whole process in this particular case - in my opinion. The Nak'azdli protest & concerns they have is one aspect.

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  6. Prince George Citizen - "Aboriginals Spar Over Lands, Mine" - March 20, 2008, Gordon Hoekstra.

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