Full environmental assessment needed for proposed open-pit mine expansion
03 Feb 10
HALIFAX – CPAWS is calling on the provincial government to require a full environmental assessment for the Miller’s Creek mine expansion proposal on the Avon Peninsula, Hants County.
The proposed mine expansion is currently under review by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and the Minister is required to make a decision by February 5th, 2010. One of the options that is available to the Minister is to require that the proposed undertaking be referred to a full environmental assessment.
“This project should go through an environmental assessment” says Chris Miller, a senior conservation manager for CPAWS based in Nova Scotia. “Better information is needed on the potential impacts associated with the mine expansion for the government to make a reasoned decision.”
CPAWS is concerned about potential environmental impacts from expanding the surface gypsum mine. The mine occurs in an area of known rare plant occurrences and significant karst landscape. Provincewide, less than 1% of karst areas are protected, leaving a large gap in the protected areas system in Nova Scotia.
“Karst areas are being mined at sites all over the province,” says Miller. “And, this is happening before there is a comprehensive plan in place to ensure that the rare natural biodiversity associated with karst landscapes are properly protected”.
CPAWS is also concerned that the conservation offsets proposed by the Proponent are too small and that they do not have the necessary legal designations attached to them to ensure that these set-asides will always be protected.
Background of the proposed mine expansion at Miller’s Creek can be found on the Nova Scotia Department of Environment website:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nse/ea/millers.creek.gypsum.mine.asp
CPAWS is Canada’s leading grassroots voice for wilderness conservation. We are a non-governmental organization working to protect at least half of Canada’s natural environment and over the past 45 years has played a lead role in securing at least two thirds of Canada’s protected areas.