Environmental Assessment takes a big step forward today

Winter hikers/anglers at Bamoos Lake, near proposed mine site, March 2011

The CEAA issued a news release today announcing a harmonized federal-provincial panel review. Entitled "Harmonization Agreement to Establish a Joint Review Panel" the document includes as an appendix the draft "Terms of Reference" for the as yet un-named review panel members. Also made available today are the draft "Environmental Impact Statement Guidelines".

While these documents were being drafted, the Citizens for a Responsible Mine, the Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation and the Lake Superior Binational Forum submitted to the CEAA suggestions for key elements for inclusion.

With the benefit of participant funding from the CEAA, the Citizens for a Responsible Mine has hired an expert consultant to meet with our membership and to review and comment on these documents.

The period for public comment on the draft panel "Terms of Reference" and "Environmental Impact Statement Guidelines" ends on May 9, 2011.

All of the above-mentioned documents, including letters to the CEAA from stakeholder groups, are available through the above link or here:

http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/05/documents-eng.cfm?evaluation=54755

June 1st Marathon Mercury article and corrections

On May 27, members of the community met with Marathon PGM and some of its consultants to discuss the project. Much of the concern related to Marathon PGM's proposal to have Bamoos Lake scheduled as a tailings impoundment area (TIA).

The following article appeared in the June 1, 2010 Marathon Mercury and is reproduced here with the gracious permission of the publisher. A scanned .pdf version of the article can be found here.

Following the article you will find corrections to misstatements by Marathon PGM's consultants that were reported in the article.

[note: click on Read more>>, below the photo, to view the entire piece.]

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Marathon PGM public meeting on environment assessment review:

‘Taking out a lake is not an easy thing to do, it’s a significant challenge’

Representatives for Marathon PGM told a Marathon audience last Thursday that ‘taking out a lake is not an easy decision, it’s a significant challenge’.

Brian Fraser, technical data consultant for the proposed open pit mine operation, said a creative solution is needed to compensate for the loss of Bamoos Lake if that option is approved by provincial and federal agencies following the environmental assessment process.

 “A creative solution is needed because we can’t create an identical lake when the mine ceases operation,” he said. “It has to be creative in a way that’s acceptable. We have to look at an ‘apples to oranges’ solution rather than an ‘apples to apples’ solution,” he said. “This approach will be the foundation for the solution. We might also look at rehabilitation or restocking of lake trout fishing in other lakes as compensation for the loss of Bamoos Lake.”

Fisher was responding to questions from an audience of approximately 40 people who turned out for the public session which was focused on the environmental aspects of the proposed open pit mine with particular emphasis on the processed solids (tailings) options

The company has submitted two options to the environmental process called the ‘North’ option and the ‘South’ option. The ‘North’ option would involve using Bamoos Lake and, when the mine ceases operation, Bamoos Lake will be changed from a cold water fishery to a warm water fishery.

Ted Schintz said he was personally in support of the mine and hopes it will be successful.

“However, Bamoos Lake is a naturally sustained trout lake and only one of the many lakes in Pukaskwa National Park is a naturally sustaining trout lake. There are not too many of them,” he said. “This makes Bamoos Lake very special.”

Eric Zackrewski, president of True Grit Consulting Ltd., uses a map to illustrate one of his answers to a question from the audience at the Marathon PGM public meeting last Thursday.

Marathon PGM will not Remove Bamoos Tailings Management Option from Project Proposal

On Thursday May 27, at the Zero-One Hundred Motel in Marathon, Ontario, Marathon PGM Corporation hosted a public meeting to respond to community concerns about the proposed open pit mining project.

In the question and answer session, Marathon PGM was asked, in light of public opposition to the use of Bamoos Lake as a tailings dump, if they would remove the Bamoos option from their formal submission to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA). Eric Zakrewksi, of True Grit Consulting Ltd., replied that they would not remove the option. The Bamoos option will be included as part of the formal proposal to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.

Ray Mason of Marathon PGM estimated that the South Option for managing tailings will cost approximately 17 million dollars more than the North/Bamoos option.

Marathon PGM has thoroughly analysed many different tailings management options with their own system of weighing the environmental, economic and social consequences of each option. If the project is assigned a panel review, the public is allowed to access government funds to hire independent, expert advice. Citizens for a Responsible Mine believes that the scale and the irreversibility of the consequences of both of Marathon PGM’s preferred tailings management options as well as the potential for future costs to tax payers suggest the need for an analysis by an independent expert who can weigh the tailings management options in a manner consistent with the public’s priorities.

Eric Zakrewksi of True Grit Consulting Ltd. stated that moving the CEAA review to a more rigorous panel review rather than a comprehensive review does not slow down the review process. He stated that it may, in fact, speed up the process.