Trilogy keeps refining Arctic project as it awaits road permit
Elwood Brehmer, Alaska Journal of Commerce, April 24, 2019
Trilogy Metals is in the midst of advancing two mineral prospects in Northwest Alaska but it’s still on the lookout for additional opportunities in the region. The Vancouver-based mining company is preparing its most advanced Arctic copper, zinc and precious metal deposit for permitting. CEO Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse wrote via email that Trilogy is specifically developing an environmental evaluation document to ostensibly organize and vet all of the information about the prospect and planned open-pit mining operations before it is submitted in formal state and federal permit applications. The environmental evaluation goes hand-in-hand with a feasibility-level study of the mine and its forecasted economics, according to Van Nieuwenhuyse. Trilogy has $7 million budgeted for the feasibility and environmental work this year with a goal of having the feasibility study done in early 2020.
Murkowski seeks comment extension on mine draft analysis
Associated Press, April 25, 2019
Alaska’s senior U.S. senator has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to extend from 90 to 120 days the comment period on a draft environmental review of a proposed copper and gold mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region. In a letter to the corps’ Alaska commander, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski cites the draft’s “length and complexity” and the need to ensure Alaskans can provide “meaningful feedback” on it. She also asks the corps to “redouble” its efforts to meaningfully consult with Alaska Natives who live in the region. She says she expects the corps to seriously consider their input in finalizing the review. A corps spokesman says the corps is considering all requests surrounding the length of the comment period, currently set to run through May 30.
Our Take: We agree wholeheartedly with the Pebble Project “We fundamentally disagree with Senator Murkowski that extending the public comment window is needed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers established a comment window that is twice the norm for a resource project, and we commend them for that. Further, all of Alaska’s major trade and industry groups support the 90-day public comment review as more than adequate and have expressed serious reservations about the implications for future resource projects by extending comment periods beyond the norm. We join with these organizations in recognizing there needs to be accountability via the federal government in meeting permit timeline milestones – an issue we thought Senator Murkowski agreed with. Unfortunately, all that happens through a comment window extension is allowing national environmental organizations to flood the ballot box and continue to raise money through opposing resource projects in Alaska.”
Related:
Opinion: We are an Alaska Native Corporation that backs Pebble Mine. Here’s why.
Brad Angassan, Juneau Empire, April 25, 2019
