The Conversation (0)
American CuMo (TSXV:MLY) reported that the US Forest Service (USFS) has released its draft supplemental decision notice and finding of no significant impact and supplemental environmental assessment regarding the CuMo Exploration project. This reconfirms a 2011 decision from the forest service and paves the way for completion of the exploration phase of the company’s Idaho asset.
As quoted in the press release:
The report and decision re-confirms the Forest Service’s 2011 Decision Notice and FONSI and will enable fulfillment of a federal judge’s order to carry out necessary studies to complete the exploration phase of the CuMo Project’s large strategic metals asset in Idaho.
The new report demonstrates that by following proper procedures, the exploration program can avoid or mitigate groundwater quality impacts – a key consideration for the federal district court.
The SEA resulted from an August 2012 decision rendered by Federal District Court Judge Edward Lodge, in response to litigation filed by environmental groups challenging the USFS’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Environmental Assessment process, and it’s FONSI relative to the CuMo Exploration Project. While Judge Lodge affirmed the Forest Service process and denied four of the five claims in the litigation, the fifth claim regarding deficiencies in groundwater analysis was remanded to the USFS for further clarification.
In February 2013, the USFS decided to address Judge Lodge’s decision through a supplemental addendum to the original Environmental Assessment. The report is the culmination of efforts by the USFS and Enviroscientists, an independent third-party contractor that performed the work.
The Forest Service’s response to the court focuses on the following subject areas:
- In-depth analysis directed by the court on potential impacts to groundwater quality;
- Additional reporting to address mitigation and monitoring measures;
- An update to changes in status of the wolverine and gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act;
- Additional monitoring information performed in 2011 and 2012 on the great gray owl and northern goshawk;
- Rare plant inventories performed on Sacajawea’s bitterroot;
- Additional narrative about the CuMo Project’s Comprehensive Plan of Operation and Best Management Practices Checklist concerning approved temporary roads and drill pad construction and reconstruction.
American CuMo president and CEO, Shaun Dykes, said:
We are very pleased with the extraordinarily high level of effort the U.S. Forest Service put into its rigorous environmental review. They left no stone unturned and continue to hold us to the highest regulatory standards. That fits perfectly with our Company’s commitment to environmental excellence. The release of the SEA is an extremely positive step in a transparent and ongoing public process.
Click here to read the American CuMo (TSXV:MLY) press release
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