RE:RE:TEAR DOWN THE WALL!IborisY wrote: .
So will the next news event be Snowden report, or debt restructuring? Or
will the BC mine inspectors have something to say about certain tailing ponds? All possible, eh :)
Rollercoasterblues wrote: Happens tomorrow since I think news is imminent.......probably earl next week
As usual, Boris, you're ahead of the herd.
Mount Polley spill leads to new rules for tailing ponds
Companies have to enhance safety and cut the risk of dam failures
The Canadian Press Posted: Mar 20, 2015 7:19 AM PT|
The disastrous collapse of the Mount Polley mine tailings pond in B.C.'s Interior last year has spurred changes to provincial environmental requirements for new mines with similar dams.
Developed in collaboration between the ministries of environment and mines, the new rules say mining firms must consider the possibility of a tailings disaster and evaluate the environmental, health, social and economic impacts of an accident...
...Polak said the new requirements apply to all mining companies with applications currently under environmental assessment and are an interim measure while the Ministry of Mines completes a review of mining regulations.
The changes mean companies must include in their tailing management applications the best-available technologies and options for water balance to enhance safety and reduce the risk of a dam failure...
...The Environmental Assessment Office will evaluate tailings management options and decide whether each mining company's plan adequately addresses potential risks.
Polak said the new requirements won't change the application process, but that most applicants will need to provide significantly more information and analysis.
Pending findings from two more investigations into the Mount Polley disaster — one by the Ministry of Mines and one by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service — could also lead to changes, Polak said.
"There will be all sorts of steps that will have to be taken following the Mount Polley incident."...
...There are 98 permitted tailings storage facilities at 60 B.C. mines.
A spokesperson for Imperial Metals was unavailable for comment.
Karina Brino, president of the Mining Association of British Columbia, said her industry knew the investigation into the dam's collapse would inevitably mean regulatory and permitting changes.
"We are, obviously, as an industry, anxious to sit down with government and define how the whole package is going to be implemented," she said. "We're actually already looking at implementing some of those recommendations ourselves."