TLG - Media, page-15102

Great post Gvan. This is, of course, not good news for the environmental lawyer, who represents a number of groups and individuals, trying to block several mines, including Talga's Vittangi mine. From material online, that's both her area of expertise and, it appears, her livelihood. The strategy looks to be to either stop the targeted mine in the courts before it starts, or significantly delay it to potentially cause terminal cash burn and funding issues and also to warn off other potential mining projects by emphasising the barriers. Permit delays and new appeals all look to be part of this approach.

From what we have seen, there are three fronts this lawyer tends to focus on (and her credentials and experience are all about environmental law): the local area, the press and the court system.

Talga, is of course, active on all three fronts.

On the local front, they have been doing a series of local information meetings, with more to come this year. It's best practise to learn from one's mistakes. At the last community meeting, apparently the main presenter was Australian, and didn't speak Swedish. Mistake! It's not wise to think that every Swede (or Scandinavian) speaks English. That was not my experience, working in the Danish education system. Not a great idea to get people off side on such a simple point.

Luckily, the nay-sayers to the mine chose to stay away from the last community information meeting.. Still there are local people "on the fence" who should not be inadvertantly pushed towards the lawyer's camp. The local area, the Swedish press, and the courts. These are all important forums for Talga. I'd think next local info meeting, send a fluent Swedish speaker to present and field questions, to mitigate risk and promote inclusion.

Regarding mining and Sweden, it is one of their main export industries, and has been significant for centuries. This is due to the geology of Sweden, located as it is on the Fennoscandian Shield.






It's evident the Swedish government wants to protect and develop this important asset, attracting investment in quality mining projects, particularly when it comes to CM. The Supreme Court in Sweden is not a seperate arm of the executive, as in the US. In Sweden, they tend to act as reviewers of the lower courts' work, sort of "protectors" of the people's best interest; not reversing decisions in an add hoc way, but simply trying to add value, guidance and refinement where, and if, necessary.

On the timeline, the final submission was made Nov 4th. That would make the 4 months' guidance the 4th March. However, we could add two or three weeks for the Xmas break- so, perhaps sometime this month. A positive decision will obviously de-risk Talga and draw significant attention.