Feds Reject Billion Dollar Mine

[Grandan]

So there it is folks, if you have a open pit oil sands project that ok but a gold mine in BC which would bring prosperity to the region is rejected a second time. Is this punishment for initially rejecting a pipline through BC? The amount of land torn up for a pipeline would totally eclipse this gold mine but the Feds are totally on board with ripping up a thousand km of forest to aaccomodate it.
http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#109878

[Glacier]

This is an extremely divisive issue in the Carboo, but it didn't have to be if the company had handled it right from the start. The First Nations are very much opposed in large part because the mine tried to railroad their way through without proper consultation because they figured they had an inside edge with the "pro-business" feds. They felt like the company was giving them the middle finger because they figured that getting their mining hacks Bill Bennett and Irvin Charleyboy to lobby the government would be enough to get the proposal to the next stage despite the panel's findings. The thing is, the panel, made up of engineers and other such experts, was not satisfied with the company's documentation, and called them out on their BS. The government listened to the panel's findings.

[grammafreddy]

Is this the one BC Hydro was building a big transmission line to?

[driveangry]

The way I understood it from the morning news, it was rejected because the mine wanted to use a pristine lake as a tailings pond. I would have rejected it also for that reason and would have taken the jerk, who came with that idea, out back and help file his plan where it belongs.

[logicalview]

Is this the one BC Hydro was building a big transmission line to?

no that's up further north - Dease Lake.

I assume that the usual whiners and criers who always go on about how Harper is "destroying the earth" will just ignore this when on their next blathering cry-baby Armageddon-laced diatribe.

[grammafreddy]

LOL - why do I suddenly feel like pulling my neckerchief up over my face, pulling down my cowboy hat and robbing a stagecoach? Har-de-har-har.

How did they plan to get all that gold outta there? Rail?

[Glacier]

Is this the one BC Hydro was building a big transmission line to?

BC Hydro is building the transmission line at their own expense (read as: at yours and mine expense) to service mines that have yet to be approved. This is way up north (hwy 37).

By contrast, the rejected site is not much further north than Lillooet. The mining company (Taseko Mines) would have to pay for its own transmission line from Kelly Lake (near Clinton). When the mine's life were to end in 50 to 100 years time, they would have to pay to remove this transmission line. I predict that Taseko will go for round three because this project is huge, being the largest undeveloped gold deposit in Canada and all.

All the gold will be trucked out to Williams Lake, and then shipped by rail down to North Vancouver.

[Merry]

Glacier's assessment is spot on when he says that Taseko went about this the wrong way in the very beginning. They were too arrogant to deal properly with the First Nations people, thinking that the right wing Government would not deny the development. And boy did it blow up in their faces!!!!

That said, I think there's more to the Federal Government's refusal of the project than meets the eye, and that it's really more of a political decision than an environmental one.

I was reading an article by the Canadian Press which was on the Telus website this morning, here's the quote:

The latest rejection was based on the conclusions of an independent review panel, which found that the mine would cause significant adverse effects on water quality, fish and fish habitat in a lake important to local First Nations.

Now, given that ALL mines would pretty much have the same or a similar effect on the environment, one has to wonder WHY stricter standards appear to have been applied to this particular development, than to other mines which HAVE been approved. Without getting into the debate of the economy versus the environment (which would just go round in circles forever), even the environmentalists among us must be wondering WHY the Feds picked this particular project to suddenly go "green" as it were.

We all know the oil sands are probably causing more environmental harm than this one mine, yet the Feds trumpet that particular development. And many of our current mines aren't being subjected to the level of environmental oversight that our current laws allow, yet the Feds do nothing. Teck is currently polluting the Elk River (as we speak) and, despite admitting that the new million dollar water treatment plant they are building will not completely solve the problem, were still given an expansion permit. And I would say that the area they are in is AS environmentally sensitive, if not MORE environmentally sensitive, than Fish Lake. So again, I ask the question WHY NOW, why this particular project has been singled out for what appears to be more stringent environmental scrutiny than some of these others.

It's not because they wanted to drain the lake and use it as a tailings pond, because that particular proposal has now been removed from the plan. Besides which, there are other mines (rightly or wrongly) who WERE given permission by this same government to do just that. So what's different about this particular one?

I suspect it might be partly because they don't want to *bleep* the First Nations people off prior to completing discussions about running a pipeline across First Nations Territory. And I think the fact we have an election next year was also part of the reason for the denial. But, whatever the reason, I'm sure that as far as the Conservatives are concerned, it had more to do with Politics than with the environment. Which is too bad for the people of Williams Lake, who really need the jobs this mine would have provided, and for the people of BC who would have benefitted from the tax revenue.

[grammafreddy]

I think Harper and Clark are having a *bleep* match about rail lines vs pipelines. He wants pipes, she has to justify the sale of BCRail.

[rvrepairnut]

whats really odd to me and personally upsets me in my way of thinking is why why do we give so much power and credence to Indians of whom most have no money and no way of self support through their own doings and suck us dry to the tune of 10 billion plus each year and then dcitate to us who can do what on crown and private lands which they do not own???
WHY do we even allow them a voice in these matters? It just kills me.

[rvrepairnut]

I think Harper and Clark are having a *bleep* match about rail lines vs pipelines. He wants pipes, she has to justify the sale of BCRail.

me thinks that's the most ridiculous statement I have read regarding the mine issue?? its Not even remotely close to any truth what so ever nor are the three connected

[grammafreddy]

I think Harper and Clark are having a *bleep* match about rail lines vs pipelines. He wants pipes, she has to justify the sale of BCRail.

me thinks that's the most ridiculous statement I have read regarding the mine issue?? its Not even remotely close to any truth what so ever nor are the three connected

You could start researching here: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/i-5/

However, about the three of them not being connected, you may have to do some other searches on your own, although there's been many good links posted for you already. You could start with who owns controlling shares in our major railroads, CN and CPR and see if Bill Gates' and Warren Buffet's names come up. They don't trifle with their investment purchases for no reason. Christy is their new best friend. Christy likes railroads :D

[rvrepairnut]

yes freddy its all a conspiracy just like the JFK murder

[grammafreddy]

yes freddy its all a conspiracy just like the JFK murder

You disappoint me - I thought you would say the World Trade Centres :D

[Steve-O]

My favorite is the "chem trails".