(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
November 20, 2015 - 6:29 PM
KAMLOOPS - The province has officially accepted the environmental application for the proposed Ajax Mine as being complete and the company intends to submit the full application early in the new year.
The Environmental Assessment Office accepted the application for a detailed review today, Nov. 20.
KGHM is responsible for distributing all necessary application copies for review, including to the provincial and federal governments, and the company has said it plans to distribute the application copies the week of Jan. 4, 2016. The 180-day review period will begin shortly after that.
The 18,000-page application will be available on the provincial site and KGHM plans to release plain language summaries and fact sheets at the same time.
“We’re excited about having the opportunity to take this next, important step,” Ajax Project Manager Clyde Gillespie says on the company’s blog. “We know that many in the community have been anxiously waiting for the application so they can see the science behind the Ajax Project. We expect that these studies will bring confidence in the Ajax Project, and in particular, comfort around the impacts and benefits the application so thoroughly spells out.”
The 75-day public comment period is expected to start shortly after the application review period begins.
KGHM Ajax Mining is planning a number of open houses and other events to be held during the 75-day public comment period. People wanting to make comments about the project will have the opportunity to do so through the Environmental Assessment Office and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
The city has previously said it will be hosting information sessions and workshops once the application is formally submitted. The city has also hired consultants to review the application, as have a group of opponents.
If approved, the proposed open-pit copper and gold mine will be located just southwest of the city.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015