Decision Statement
Issued under Section 54 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012

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Document Reference Number: 1183

to
Taseko Mines Limited
c/o Russell Hallbauer
President, CEO and Director
15th Floor, 1040 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 4H1

for the
New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project

 

Description of the Designated Project

Taseko Mines Limited (the Proponent) proposes to develop the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project (the Designated Project), 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, British Columbia. The Designated Project would entail constructing, operating and closing an open pit mine and a 70,000 tonne per day concentrator facility with an average annual production of 108 million pounds of copper and 247 thousand ounces of gold production over a 20 year mine life. The Designated Project includes the open pit mine, a concentrator facility, support infrastructure, and associated tailings and waste rock areas, the construction of a 2.8-kilometre access road to the mine site, the construction of a 125-kilometre long power transmission line corridor, and the transport of mine concentrates to an existing concentrate load-out facility near Macalister, British Columbia.

Conduct of the Environmental Assessment

The former Minister of the Environment established a Review Panel for the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project on May 9, 2012. The Panel conducted its review in a manner that met the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012). The Review Panel submitted its report to me in my capacity as Minister of the Environment on October 31, 2013.

Decision on Environmental Effects

In accordance with paragraphs 52(1)(a) and (b) of CEAA 2012, I have decided, after considering the report of the Review Panel on the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine Project and the implementation of mitigation measures that I considered appropriate, that the Designated Project:

  • is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects referred to in subsection 5(1) of CEAA 2012; and
  • is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects referred to in subsection 5(2) of CEAA 2012.

In accordance with subsection 52(2) of CEAA 2012, I have referred the matter of whether the significant adverse environmental effects referred to in subsections 5(1) and (2) are justified in the circumstances to the Governor in Council.

In accordance with paragraph 52(4) of CEAA 2012, the Governor in Council decided that the significant adverse environmental effects that the Designated Project is likely to cause are not justified in the circumstances.

Issuance

This Decision Statement is issued on February 25, 2014 at Ottawa, Ontario by:

[Leona Aglukkaq]
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Minister of the Environment

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