I wish to take this opportunity to correct the record regarding several inaccurate and misleading statements that were contained within the April 29 Juneau Empire My Turn penned by Lewis Rifkind, mining analyst for Yukon Conservation Society:
• The KSM Project does not have a proposed tailings management facility located within the Unuk River watershed. The proposed facility is situated within a tributary of the Nass River watershed, a watershed that is situated entirely with Canada.
• KSM does not have earthen dams; our tailing dams will be constructed using a centre lined design; and we will use double cycloned tailing sand as the construction material.
• The KSM Project underwent a joint harmonized federal-provincial environmental assessment review between March 2008 and concluded on Dec. 19, 2014. The Federal Minister of the Environment in her decision on KSM concluded that a panel review was not necessary. There is absolutely no difference in the environmental assessment technical requirements for a comprehensive study review, which KSM underwent, and a panel review.
• Seabridge worked extensively with Alaska state and U.S. federal regulators (EPA, DOI, NOAA, Fish and Wildlife Service), having more than 85 different meetings and interactions with these regulators through the Environmental Assessment (EA) process to learn and address the concerns of Alaskans. In addition, Seabridge hosted a public meeting in Ketchikan and held several meetings with Tribal, village and NGO organizations based in Alaska, including Rivers Without Borders, and Southeast Alaska Conservation Council during the EA review to listen to their concerns and to answer questions regarding the KSM Project. Both the Canadian Federal and Provincial regulators determined KSM will not have an impact on US waters.
The conclusion of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency stated: “The agency has concluded that no significant adverse impacts on water quality, water quantity, fish or human health are expected on the Alaskan side of the Unuk River .”
There are no Alaskan regulatory triggers for the project.
• Questions regarding our tailings management systems, safety of dams, monitoring and maintenance over the very long term and contingency plans for tailing dam failures were answered and addressed during the environmental assessment review. If the public’s concerns had not been addressed, Seabridge would not have received its environmental approval for the KSM Project. I also want to highlight the federal approval came four months after the Mount Polley dam breach, and the federal government subsequently approved the KSM Project, confident of KSM’s tailing management facility design.
The KSM Project has many positive characteristics:
• Seabridge has worked diligently with Canadian Treaty and First Nations to address their concerns and has developed respectful and meaningful relationships with the groups in close proximity to KSM. We signed a Benefits Agreement with the Nisga’a Nation in June of 2014; we have an Environmental Agreement with the Gitanyow First Nation; we received a letter of support from the Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs’ office during the EA review; and we addressed the environmental and social concerns of the Tahltan as stated within the report submitted by the Tahltan Heritage, Resources, Environmental Assessment Team (THREAT), which is on file at the BC Environmental Assessment Office.
• Seabridge is respected within the local communities having received public letters of support from the Mayors and Councils of Smithers and Terrace respectively during the EA review process.
• The EA for the KSM Project occurred over a six-and-a-half year period (March 2008- December 2014), and I say unequivocally that great attention was paid to the potential environment impacts associated with the project and through the very rigorous EA process, these potential impacts were mitigated to the satisfaction of the local communities, Aboriginal groups and statutory decision makers based in Canada where the project is located.
I feel it is important to reiterate for Seabridge Gold, protection of the environment, in both Canada and in the US, is a guiding principle behind the design of the KSM Project. The company has put the KSM project through extensive environmental and technical evaluations by independent experts to ensure its operation will not cause harm to the surrounding environment, including waterways and fish. This principle was justified with the receipt of the Federal and Provincial Environmental Assessment approvals.
In the future, should Mr. Rifkind wish to use the KSM Project for comparative purposes, we request that he complete a thorough fact check as a mitigation measure to ensure inaccurate facts regarding our project are not promoted or printed.
• Brent Murphy is the vice president of Environmental Affairs at Seabridge Gold.
