Seabridge Gold announced today that it has completed the filing process of its provincial Application for an Environmental Assessment certificate (Application) and its federal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its 100% owned KSM gold-copper-silver project with the British Columbia and Canadian governments.
During the filing process, Seabridge has delivered 40 fully indexed, linked and hyperlinked flash memory sticks and 10 hard copies of the Application/EIS document. The submission was provided initially to the KSM Project Regulatory Working Group members that includes representatives of the Nisga'a Nation, First Nations, provincial and federal regulatory authorities, municipal officials and U.S. state and federal representatives. The document is one of the largest and most comprehensive ever submitted for a mining project in Canada, consisting of 41 four inch volumes containing over 30,000 pages of text, tables, figures and maps.
Seabridge Chairman and CEO Rudi Fronk stated that, "The completion of the filing represents another significant milestone in the continued advancement of the KSM Project through the Canadian permitting process. Our team now looks forward to the formal screening and review processes and continuing to work cooperatively with the KSM Project Working Group members in addressing technical questions on the environmental merits and risks associated with development of the KSM Project. We will also continue to deliver the message of the positive economic benefits associated with our project and the mitigation control measures we have proposed to minimize its environmental effects. Our office in Smithers will be our primary venue for disseminating information in the communities of northwestern British Columbia."
The multi-generational KSM Project is undergoing a joint environmental assessment as mandated by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act. With the completion of the filing, the screening process commences, followed by the environmental assessment review process. The process timeline consists of the following steps:
- 45 day screening period;
- 180 day environmental assessment review; and,
- 45 day Minister's decision review.
The running of these time periods may be suspended from time to time during the review process if additional information is requested. The federal process is now bound by a 365 day approval process limit.
"We anticipate that the KSM review process will be a thorough and detailed review, managed by the province and the federal government. The process should be completed by mid-2014. We are confident that the review process will confirm our assertion that the KSM Project is a well-designed, environmentally responsible project which is both technically and economically feasible," said Mr. Fronk.
Seabridge holds a 100% interest in several North American gold resource projects. Its principal assets are the KSM project located near Stewart, British Columbia, Canada and the Courageous Lake gold project located in Canada's Northwest Territories. For a breakdown of Seabridge's mineral reserves and resources by project and category please visit the Company's website at http://www.seabridgegold.net/resources.php. For additional information on the KSM Project and the Environmental Assessment process please visit the KSM community website at http://www.ksmproject.com.
Source: http://www.seabridgegold.net/