Tenas Project Public Consultation Report
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Tenas Project Public Consultation Report September 23, 2020 The BC Environmental Assessment Office Submitted to: 1st Floor 836 Yates St PO Box 9426 Stn Prov Govt Victoria BC V8W 9V1 Submitted by: Telkwa Coal Limited Suite 1410 – 409 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 1.1 Project Overview ........................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Proponent Information ................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 Public Consultation Area ............................................................................................................... 7 1.4 Identifying Interested Parties......................................................................................................... 7 2. Purpose ............................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Purpose of Public Consultation ................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Purpose of the Public Consultation Report ................................................................................. 10 3. Phases of Public Consultation ............................................................................................................ 11 3.1 Early Engagement Phase ........................................................................................................... 11 3.1.1 Early Engagement Activities ............................................................................................... 12 3.1.2 Early Engagement Meetings ............................................................................................... 13 3.1.3 Tenas Mine Neighbours Group ........................................................................................... 20 3.1.4 Information Program ........................................................................................................... 21 3.1.5 Community Open Houses ................................................................................................... 21 3.1.6 Early Community Engagement Outcomes .......................................................................... 22 3.2 Pre-Application Phase ................................................................................................................. 23 3.2.1 Pre-Application Phase Engagement Activities .................................................................... 23 3.2.2 Tenas Mine Neighbours Group ........................................................................................... 24 3.2.3 Information Program ........................................................................................................... 25 3.2.4 Open Houses ...................................................................................................................... 26 3.2.5 EAO-led Open Houses ....................................................................................................... 26 3.3 Application Review Phase ........................................................................................................... 32 3.3.1 Application Phase Engagement Activities ........................................................................... 32 3.3.2 Tenas Mine Neighbours Group ........................................................................................... 33 3.3.3 Information Program ........................................................................................................... 33 3.3.4 EAO-led Open House ......................................................................................................... 34 3.4 Ongoing Engagement ................................................................................................................. 35 4. Summary of Public Issues and Concerns Raised ............................................................................... 36 APPENDIX A Open House and Public Comment Period flyer .............................................................. 39 APPENDIX B Public Comment Period on Draft Application Information Requirements ...................... 40 1 List of Acronyms Acid rock drainage ARD Allegiance Coal Limited ACL Application Information Requirements AIR Australian securities exchange ASX British Columbia BC British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act BCEAA British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office EAO Bulkley Valley Bowmen BVB Bulkley Valley Community Resources Board CRB Bulkley Valley Research and Monitoring Centre BVRC Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency CEAA EAO Electronic Project Information Centre e-PIC Environment & Climate Change Canada ECCC Environmental Assessment EA Environmental Assessment Application EAA Environmental Assessment Certificate EAC Environmental Assessment Report AR Environmental Management Act Permit Application EMA PA Industrial Use Permit IUP Major Mines Office MMO Member of the Legislative Assembly MLA Member of Parliament MP Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Low Carbon EMLI Innovation Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy ENV Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource FLNRORD Operations and Rural Development Northwest BC Resource Benefits Alliance RBA Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako RDBN Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition SW Telkwa Coal Limited TCL Tenas Project The Project Valued Component VC 2 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Overview Telkwa Coal Limited (TCL) is proposing to develop the Tenas Project (the Project), a surface coal mine designed to produce approximately 15.0 million tonnes of processed metallurgical coal product, at about 775,000 to 825,000 saleable tonnes per year, to be used in the production of steel. The mine life of the Project will be around 25 years, including the construction, operation, and decommissioning and reclamation phases. TCL’s proposed Project is about 25 kilometres south of Smithers and 7 kilometres southwest of the village of Telkwa in northwestern British Columbia (BC) (Figure 1) (Figure 2). The Project is located on provincial Crown Land, three freehold land parcels and nine coal licences held by TCL. Under Part 3, Section 8 of the Reviewable Projects Regulation for the BC Environmental Assessment Act (2002) (BCEAA), the proposed Project will trigger an environmental assessment (EA), as its production is above the 250,000 tonnes per year threshold. The Project’s average daily production rate of 2,200 tonnes per day, however, is below the threshold for a new coal mine under federal environmental assessment legislation. On August 28, 2019, the Impact Assessment Act, 2019 (IAA 2019) came into force. The IAA 2019 creates the new Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) and repeals the CEAA 2012. EA under the IAA is not required for the Project because the proposed production capacity is well under the 5,000 tonnes per day coal production threshold for the construction, operation, decommissioning and abandonment of a new coal mine as defined in 16(d) of the Regulations Designating Physical Activities. IAAC confirmed on June 1, 2020 that the Project is not reviewable under the IAA. TCL is applying for review of permits under the BC Mines Act and Environmental Management Act. No decisions on permits can be made until an EA Certificate is issued by the Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation (EMLI) and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV). The Project will include the development of: • open pit • Coal Processing Plant • coal handling systems for run of mine coal, processed rock, and processed coal (including plant conveyors, storage bins, and stockpiles) • storage piles for rock, processed rock, overburden and stockpiles for topsoil, processed coal, and processed rock • administration, first aid, maintenance/warehouse, mine dry, laboratory, light vehicle, mine rescue, and warehouse buildings • surface water management infrastructure (including ditches, sedimentation, control, management, and storage ponds) • water supply wells, storage, and distribution network • fuel and lubricant storage facilities and distribution network • explosives magazine, storage silos, and vehicle wash and maintenance facilities • propane storage facilities and distribution network • solid waste management systems including landfill, recycling, and composting facilities • haulroads and service roads within the minesite • Tenas Access Corridor which encompasses a 11 km newly constructed Bypass Road and improvements to approximately 5 km of an existing forestry service road 3 • A 3.5 km long 25 kV powerline and a 25 kV to 600V substation adjacent to the Coal Processing Plant • rail infrastructure consisting of processed coal stockpiles, scales, dust control facilities and a 2.5 km rail loop connected to the Canadian National Railway track • A permanent bridge over Goathorn Creek 4 610000 615000 620000 625000 630000 635000 SMITHER S JEAN Tena s P ro jec t BAPTISTE 28 BUR NT CABIN Creek BOG ECOLOGICAL Canyon R ESER VE Project Components Legend Tyhee reek 0 C 0 0 Lake Victor 0 0 0 R a il Line 5 5 Bypa ss R o a d 6 6 0 0 6 6 Highwa y Ba c kfill TY EE Sec o nda ry R o a d CN Explo sives «¬ LAKE P AR K P Infra struc ture i Wa terc o urse n e Ä Ä Ä Ä Ma na gem ent P