corps oks kensington mine permit after market

Expect Coeur to make an annoucement before opening on Monday. this should spike upwards, this news came in after market in the usa...

Empire> Today's Updates> CorCoeur will make an annoucement before opening on Monday.

Empire> Today's Updates> Corps OKs Kensington mine permit
Corps OKs Kensington mine permit
Story last updated at 8/14/2009 - 6:40 pm
By JEREMY HSIEH
JUNEAU EMPIRE

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reissued a permit today to Coeur Alaska Inc. for its Kensington mine plans, clearing the way for construction to resume on the final component of the complex that’s been on hold since 2006 because of environmentalists’ lawsuits.

Construction is expected to create 300 jobs, and the mine itself is expected to employ 200 well-paid workers once in operation. Local business interests have been clamoring for it for years, celebrating it as a major new economic driver that will keep stagnation in Juneau at bay and put a dent in the region’s unemployment numbers.

The U.S. Supreme Court settled the legal battle in the mine company’s favor through a June decision. The case centered around a to-be constructed facility for disposing of mine waste known as tailings, the ground up waste rock left over after metals are removed from ore. Coeur plans to dump the tailings into Lower Slate Lake and treat the water flowing out to Berner’s Bay; the environmental groups sought an upland disposal option that would preserve the lake.

“We still believe the (upland) plan is best for Berner’s Bay, but we’re glad the Corps of Engineers made its decision quickly,” said Lindsey Ketchel, executive director the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, one of the environmental groups involved in the lawsuit.

The mine company would not comment Friday, though spokesman Tony Ebersole of Idaho-based parent-company Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. said a statement will be issued Monday before financial markets open.

After the Supreme Court’s decision, the federal Environmental Protection Agency raised eyebrows with a July letter requesting the Corps reevaluate the tailings disposal options, but Corps officials said Friday they’ve addressed the EPA’s concerns and that the agency has exhausted its avenues for affecting the permitting process.

“It’s a done deal at this point,” said Steven Meyers, the acting regulatory division chief with the Corps of Engineers’ Alaska district.

The mine is located about 45 miles northwest of Juneau. ps OKs Kensington mine permit
Corps OKs Kensington mine permit
Story last updated at 8/14/2009 - 6:40 pm
By JEREMY HSIEH
JUNEAU EMPIRE

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reissued a permit today to Coeur Alaska Inc. for its Kensington mine plans, clearing the way for construction to resume on the final component of the complex that’s been on hold since 2006 because of environmentalists’ lawsuits.

Construction is expected to create 300 jobs, and the mine itself is expected to employ 200 well-paid workers once in operation. Local business interests have been clamoring for it for years, celebrating it as a major new economic driver that will keep stagnation in Juneau at bay and put a dent in the region’s unemployment numbers.

The U.S. Supreme Court settled the legal battle in the mine company’s favor through a June decision. The case centered around a to-be constructed facility for disposing of mine waste known as tailings, the ground up waste rock left over after metals are removed from ore. Coeur plans to dump the tailings into Lower Slate Lake and treat the water flowing out to Berner’s Bay; the environmental groups sought an upland disposal option that would preserve the lake.

“We still believe the (upland) plan is best for Berner’s Bay, but we’re glad the Corps of Engineers made its decision quickly,” said Lindsey Ketchel, executive director the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, one of the environmental groups involved in the lawsuit.

The mine company would not comment Friday, though spokesman Tony Ebersole of Idaho-based parent-company Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. said a statement will be issued Monday before financial markets open.

After the Supreme Court’s decision, the federal Environmental Protection Agency raised eyebrows with a July letter requesting the Corps reevaluate the tailings disposal options, but Corps officials said Friday they’ve addressed the EPA’s concerns and that the agency has exhausted its avenues for affecting the permitting process.

“It’s a done deal at this point,” said Steven Meyers, the acting regulatory division chief with the Corps of Engineers’ Alaska district.

The mine is located about 45 miles northwest of Juneau.