A bid to reestablish coal mining in Telkwa has reached a major milestone.

In an announcement Feb. 24, Telkwa Coal announced it has filed its Environmental Assessment Certificate Application to the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office.

B次元官网网址淲hile it is 15 months past our original target date, I cannot stress the enormity of reaching this milestone,B次元官网网址� said Mark Gray, Telkwa Coal CEO. B次元官网网址淎 combination of prudence and caution in preparing the application coupled with a voluntary nine-month pause in the pre-application phase of the process by Telkwa Coal, at the request of the Office of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n (OW), were key reasons for the delay.B次元官网网址�

Gray noted that because of the consultation with the OW, the company feels its application is more robust. Furthermore, the process resulted in a project assessment agreement that will ensure the OW participation in the review of the application.

The B.C. review process is nine months according to the Environmental Assessment Act. By regulation, it includes one to two months of screening, six months of review and two months for a decision by the environment and energy, mining and natural resources ministries, respectively.

B次元官网网址淲hile the review process is time regulated, the experience of other applications tells us that it does take longer than nine months,B次元官网网址� the Feb. 24 release stated. B次元官网网址淗ow long will depend on the quality of the application we have submitted.B次元官网网址�

The Interior B次元官网网址 has reached out to the Office of the WetB次元官网网址檚uwetB次元官网网址檈n, but has not yet received a response.

If an environmental certificate is issued, the company will be able to apply for its mine and environmental management permits. The current project schedule estimates having those permits by the second quarter of 2024, followed by a year and a half of mine construction with operations beginning in 2026.

The company estimates a 2o-year lifespan for the mine, which it says will employ 170 full-time equivalent employees and support 255 full-time equivalent indirect jobs.

Not everyone is happy with the progress of the project, however. Both the What Matters in Our Valley (WMIOV) and Smithers Climate Action (SCA) groups also recently released statements opposing Telkwa Coal.

WMIOVB次元官网网址檚 objection focuses primarily on perceived threats of acid rock drainage to the Telkwa River specifically and the Skeena watershed more generally.

SCA is more focussed on climate change and the transition to a clean energy economy.

Both groups, however, think itB次元官网网址檚 a bad idea, with the world transitioning away from coal, to be bringing a new open-pit coal mine to the valley.

B次元官网网址淪hould we be enabling the continued production of coal under these circumstances?,B次元官网网址� the WMIOV asks. B次元官网网址淲hat happens when the mine is abandoned as a stranded asset? Who pays to keep the acid rock drainage and heavy metals from polluting the Telkwa River? Once itB次元官网网址檚 exposed, this type of pollution must be contained forever.B次元官网网址�

SCA took a similar stance.

B次元官网网址淭elkwa Coal is planning to sell a product that is being phased out. As a community, we would be wise to ask ourselves if developing an open-pit coal mine with a doubtful future is an acceptable risk to take on for the rivers, the surrounding environment, and the community.B次元官网网址�

The company says these concerns are addressed by their reclamation and monitoring plans.

editor@interior-news.com
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