Vale Metals appoints mining veteran Shaun Usmar as CEO
Usmar has more than 30 years of industry experience, with his latest role as founder and CEO of Triple Flag Precious Metals.
BEFORE: An aerial view of the Mount Polley mine tailings pond shows the area where the dam wall gave way early on the morning of August 4. (Image from archives)
Workers at Canada’s Mount Polley copper and gold mine in central British Columbia could be back on the job as early as this week, which should come as a relief to nearly 400 employees who have been off work since a tailings breach last summer shut down the operation.
That is according to Bill Bennett, B.C. mines minister, who told Canadian Press on Tuesday that Imperial Metals (TSX:III), the mine owner and operator, has provided all the information needed for the province to issue a mining permit needed for a restart.
But environmental and aboriginal groups are saying they will oppose any decision that allows Mount Polley, blamed for spilling 24-million cubic metres of silt and water into nearby lakes and rivers in August last year, to resume operations.
Imperial applied for a restricted operational permit in January that would allow it to start up the mill and process ore at about half the normal rate. The company was also asking permission to deposit a maximum 4 million tonnes of tailings into the Springer Pit, so as not to include the use of the tailings storage facility to impound tailings from the operation.
Earlier this year Imperial Metals released a summary of its testing program on affected waters and sediments since the breach, concluding it was impossible to find toxicity that could be attributed to metals concentrations.
You can see the latest update on restoration work in this video.
AFTER: Restoration work at Hazeltine Creek. (Image: Screengrab from corporate video, realeased June 2015)
6 Comments
john S. metzger
Every opportunity exists for working responsibly and transparently, if this manner is so chosen. An implementation plan for repairing the tailings site and monitoring it in real time is affordable and can be well managed …we stand ready to support this possibility.
Gene Byrge
Mining activity must include the appropriate responsibility,with enforced regulations. The benefits should accrue to humanity, not individuals. Resource management should be the endgame.
Zulugroove
Grow up Goodwin, your moronic statements,expose your ignorance
Eric Stevenson
feel sorry for management, but on the other hand, management is at fault for the disaster in the first place. Don’t kick the ‘politicians’ (Goodwin), they’re actually being quite cooperative. Had that happened in Calif. the EPA and Obama administration would really be conducting themselves as ‘incompetent wankers’ and the mine would never be put back into operation.
Douglas Walker
I think part off the blame has to go to environmental and aboriginal groups who opposed the release of water from the tailings pond, because of this Imperial Metals had to raise the level of the dam, putting stress on the structure and exposing other flaws in the tailing ponds design. So lesson learned. Fix it. Go back to work.
wealth101
@D. Walker: The time for blame is past; lets not throw any more bilge.
@ Stevenson: No one to feel sorry for. It happened; it got fixed.
Considering the rather exemplary company history up to that spill, and moving forward, a company with even more integrity (to avoid further publicity), I think we have to put this one behind us.
Although I support 1st Nations in many of their stands against big business, i.e. oil pipelines, it may work against them to protest too much on this particular mine. They have yet to show they have proof positive of a damaging environmental impact on the lake or streams, the fishery, or other such things they may wish to oppose. Considering there are numerous small private mines all along that lake, let’s hear them protest against all mines, not just the ones that can pay the Band some money or hire their Band members, if that is what they are up to.