Pacific Booker Minerals: Morrison Mine to Undergo Further Assessment

Environment Minister Mary Polak and Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett have
announced that Pacific Booker Minerals’ (TSXV:BKM) Morrison mine must undergo further environmental assessment. Pacific Booker has three years to provide additional information required by the government once a supplemental application requirements document is provided.
As per a statement from BC’s Environmental Assessment Office, ministers considered a number of matters including:

• issues of risk and uncertainty associated with fundamental aspects of the mine͛s design;
• ‡ issues of risk and uncertainty associated with the proposed mitigation measures;
• ‡ insufficient baseline information about and understanding of the Morrison Lake ecosystem;
• ‡ the environmental and other values at stake, particularly those associated with Morrison Lake and its unique population of sockeye salmon; and
• ‡ whether there may be other design alternatives and/or mitigation measures that might support a higher level of confidence that significant adverse effects are not likely to result from the mine.

Further assessment will include:

• additional baseline information and analysis regarding:
• the capacity of Morrison Lake to assimilate treated waste water from the mine. A minimum of one year of new baseline data must be collected;
• sockeye salmon use of Morrison Lake, Upper and Lower Tahlo Creek and the Morrison River;
• hydrogeological and groundwater data for areas between the mine and Morrison Lake; and
• instream flow requirements for the Morrison River;
• ‡additional analysis of the feasibility and effectiveness of alternatives to the current mine design and mitigation measures to reduce the levels of risk and uncertainty of potential impacts from the mine;
• additional analysis of whether the mine is likely to have significant adverse effects on the environment;
• ‡a description and assessment of alternative means of undertaking the project with respect to tailings management that:
• considers technology, siting and water balance;
• presents and compares best practices and best available technologies; and
• provides a clear and transparent evaluation of the factors that supported the selection of the most suitable option; and ‡
• further engagement with Lake Babine Nation and other First Nations with respect to their perspectives and opinions about the mine and the potential effects on their Aboriginal Interests.

Meanwhile, Imperial Metals’ (TSX:III) Mount Polley mine in BC could reopen this July, less than a year after it was shut down last August following a disastrous tailing dam collapse.
Click here to read the full Government of British Columbia Information Bulletin
Click here to see the Pacific Booker Minerals (TSXV:BKM) profile.