Nov 3 2017
IDM Mining Ltd. is pleased to announce that the Application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate / Environmental Impact Statement (the “Application/EIS”) for the Red Mountain Underground Gold Project (the “Project”) has been formally accepted for review by the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEA Agency).
This acceptance means the Application/EIS is now undergoing a formal review by the CEA Agency under the legislated timelines of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012), and IDM anticipates that formal review by EAO under the BC Environmental Assessment Act (BCEAA) will commence shortly. Based on the 180-day legislated timeline for Application Review under BCEAA and remaining review time under the federal timeline under CEAA 2012, the Project remains on-track for the start of development in 2018.
“This is an important step in the steady advancement of the regulatory process for the Red Mountain Project,” said Michael McPhie, Executive Chairman of IDM. “With legislated timelines for both the provincial and federal environmental assessment processes now in place, we are able to confidently plan our ultimate Project development schedule. This outcome is a result of significant effort by everyone involved, and we appreciate the support and effort applied by all of the members of the IDM and supporting consulting team. We look forward to a thorough and timely review of the Application/EIS by regulatory agencies, Nisga’a Nation, community members, and stakeholders.”
Environmental Assessment Processes
The Project is subject to a review under BCEAA and CEAA 2012. The coordinated review of the Application/EIS is in pursuit of both an Environmental Assessment Certificate (EAC) as per Section 16 of BCEAA and an approval under CEAA 2012. The Application/EIS has been prepared in accordance with the Application Information Requirements (AIR) issued by EAO on March 30, 2017, and the EIS Guidelines issued by the CEA Agency on January 22, 2016.
A number of community open houses for the Project will be held in the weeks ahead. The first of these will occur in Stewart and several of the Nisga’a Nation villages in early December. Information on the Project Application/EIS and the status of the Application Review process can be viewed at the EAO web site (https://projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/p/red-mountain-underground-gold/detail) and the CEA Agency website (http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/details-eng.cfm?evaluation=80093).