(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

REQUESTS MORE INFORMATION ON AIR QUALITY EFFECTS

KAMLOOPS - Based on comments from agencies and the public, the Environmental Assessment Office is looking for KGHM Ajax Mining Inc. to provide more information on air quality effects for the proposed mine.

In an email sent to the company last week, the provincial assessment office says it received input from the federal assessment agency, the Ministry of Environment and Environment and Climate Change Canada in preparing the request for additional information, which it says is needed to increase the level of confidence in the air quality effects assessment.

The office is specifically looking for more information on the effectiveness of the proposed mitigation measures to achieve the predicted results, the approach to monitoring and verification to ensure predicted results are being achieved during construction and operation of the mine and an update to the air dispersion model to include emissions factors used as inputs.

KGHM is being asked to provide examples of other mines operating in similar geological and climatic zones which have applied similar mitigation to achieve the targeted effectiveness. It is also expected to outline the proposed approach to monitoring results and verifying results, as well as actions which will be taken if the results are not being achieved.

An information request from the federal agency was also issued in regards to air quality last week, and the provincial request is considered complementary to the federal request.

In March, the federal agencies also issued an information request for numerous other areas of the application they found deficiencies in, including First Nations issues, geology, water quantity and quality, accidents and malfunctions, and human health.

The information will likely be used to refine any potential related conditions the ministers include in making a decision on the application, the letter notes.

The proposed open-pit copper and gold mine is currently in the application review period of the environmental assessment process. The assessment agencies are expected to make a decision as to whether the application is approved, denied or in need of more information after the review period ends this summer. If approved, the mine is expected to operate on the southwest border of Kamloops for more than 20 years.

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