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Mining industry

Environmental Group Challenges Substantial Start Decision of Massive KSM Mine

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, represented by Ecojustice, is taking the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) to court to challenge its decision that the proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) mine is "substantially started." The KSM project, which would be one of the world's largest gold-copper mines, poses significant environmental risks, including the creation of a massive 2.3 billion-tonne tailings lake that could take centuries to maintain. The groups argue that the proposed mine threatens the Nass and Unuk rivers, which are critical for Pacific salmon and eulachon populations that support Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

Key Takeaways:

  • The KSM project would be one of the world's largest gold-copper mines, requiring four open pits, two underground mines, and an 8km by 2km tailings lake.
  • The tailings would hold 2.3 billion tonnes of waste, which is 28 times the amount released in the Mount Polley disaster.
  • The groups argue that the proposed mine threatens the Nass and Unuk rivers, which are critical for Pacific salmon and eulachon populations.
  • The KSM assessment is more than a decade old and predates key legal changes, such as the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, new Environmental Assessment legislation, and new science on tailings risks.
  • The court victory could set an important precedent informing how substantial start decisions are made for other major resource development projects.
  • SkeenaWild Conservation Trust works to defend and conserve salmon, their habitat, and the communities who depend on them.
  • Ecojustice uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change, and fight for a healthy environment.

Statistics:

  • The KSM mine would be one of the world's largest gold-copper mines with four open pits and two underground mines.
  • The tailings lake would be 8km by 2km in size and would hold 2.3 billion tonnes of waste.
  • The Mount Polley disaster released 24 million cubic meters of tailings, whereas the KSM mine would create a tailings lake containing 28 times that amount.
  • The KSM assessment is more than a decade old.

Sources:

  • "Environmental group in court to challenge substantial start decision of massive KSM mine"

* Ecojustice.ca, September 2022

  • "About SkeenaWild Conservation Trust"

* Skeenawild.ca, no date

  • "About Ecojustice"

* Ecojustice.ca, no date

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