The RDEK board is lending its support to Elk Valley Resources (EVR) as part of a regulatory process to advance to the next stage of a coal mine expansion proposal at the Fording River operations.
Company representatives requested during a recent committee presentation that the RDEK letter be included in a report scheduled for submission to the Environmental Assessment Office in June.
"It's certainly something that, in my opinion, is no-brainer for this board," said David Wilks, mayor of Sparwood. "The amount of money that comes out of the Elk Valley to support not only the provincial, but federal coffers, is into the multiple billions and with the infrastructure that is already in place at Fording River, the Fording River extension is just something that would allow that mine to continue on for another 35 years."
The RDEK letter doesn't necessarily mean endorsing the mine expansion itself, but rather supports moving the regulatory process forward with the pending submission of the Detailed Project Description package, according to Rory O'Conner, director, Indigenous and government relations, EVR.
"That's a really big step because it isn't signifying that the project is going to move to approval, it's that it can move to the next stage where we can do the adequate amount of studies, research, field work and field visits in order to gather the data necessary to support a fair evaluation of the potential impacts and also describe the mitigation," said O'Connor, during a presentation on May 8.
The Fording River production levels are expected to level off by 2030, while the proposed expansion will extend the mine's lifespan by approximately 35 years, said O'Connor.
The initial detailed project description was filed in 2021, however two years later, the Environmental Assessment Office recommended dispute resolution process to address issues and concerns raised by the Ktunaxa Nation Council and Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi'it (Tobacco Plains Indian Band).
Ultimately, EVR's goal is to get the process to a mechanism called a "readiness decision", which will trigger a full-blown environmental assessment, said O'Connor.
In response to EVR (formerly Teck) initial filing the detailed project description in 2021, the Ktunaxa Nation Council filed a submission noting the proposed expansion will cause "unmitigable, significant adverse effects to Ktunaxa First Nations, Ktunaxa cultural practices and stewardship authority" and requested that the readiness decision recommend the environmental assessment be terminated.
Concerns over the expansion were also raised by Wildsight, particularly around high elevation grasslands and endangered ecosystems, along with the impacts to wildlife species such as Bighorn Sheep.
In 2023, the Environmental Assessment Office recommended that Teck [EVR] submit a revised detailed project description following further engagement with the Ktunaxa Nation Council and Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi'it.
The revisions include a reduced mine boundary and footprint, no waste rock placement in the Chauncey watershed, removal of disturbance to Fording River flood plain, and a estimate that greater than 70 per cent of waste rock placement will be in existing disturbance or in-pit backfill.
Once that revised report is filed, it will be available for review and comment from rights holders and the public.
