Proposed BC mine project nixed
Posted October 1, 2012 6:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – Plans for a copper and gold mine in northeastern BC have been buried by the provincial government.
An environmental assessment of the proposed mine at Morrison Lake near Smithers found the project could endanger the quality of water in the lake and affect sockeye salmon and other fish in the Skeena River.
Environment Minister Terry Lake says the decision to reject the mine has nothing to do with other controversial projects like the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline project.
“No, every one is judged on its own and this one simply had too many risks associated with it. We didn’t have a high enough level of confidence to give it a ”Yes.'”
The Morrison Mine would have been located at the headwaters of the Skeena River, which produces the second-largest amount of sockeye salmon in the province.
“We need to find a balance between creating jobs, growing our economy, pursuing resource development, but it has to be done in an environmentally sustainable way. That’s just the bottom line,” says Premier Christy Clark.
Pacific Booker had planned to dig out 30,000 tonnes of copper and gold ore from the site each day over 21 years. The nearby Babine Lake First Nation had earlier raised concerns about conservation of habitat and fish in the area if the mine was approved.
