While the developer plans to sink an additional $300 million into its bid for the Prosperity gold and copper mine near Williams Lake, local natives say they remain adamantly opposed.
"The Tsilhqot'in people have spoken loud and clear: they do not want a project of this size, with such environmental risk and in an area as important as Fish Lake. We welcome other opportunities to develop mining projects in less sensitive areas, but the Tsilhqot'in Nation is fully opposed to this project," said Tsilhqot'in Nation Tribal Chair Chief Joe Alphonse.
Taseko says its new proposal, outlined in its recent environmental impact statement (EIS), will preserve Fish Lake, a water body of importance to the native community. Taseko submitted their EIS for New Prosperity to the federal government this month.
In November 2010, the federal government rejected the project's first incarnation on environmental grounds - principally because it would have destroyed Fish Lake. The new plan, which boosts the project cost by $300 million to $1.1 billion, no longer requires draining Fish Lake.
The new plan moves the mine tailings pond 2.5 kilometres upstream to preserve spawning habitat to support the lake. Brian Battison, Taseko's vice-president of corporate affairs said that lower commodity prices when Taseko launched its original Prosperity project in 2005 wouldn't have supported the additional $300 million price tag. He added that, in 2005, the consensus per-pound price for copper was US$1.32 and that by 2010, it had risen to US$2.25.
"It's only now, because of these higher prices in gold and copper, that we're able to add an additional $300 million to the project and save Fish Lake," Battison said.
But some local natives have apparently already made up their minds.
"The Tsilhqot'in are participating in good faith in the federal environmental panel review. We are confident that this new panel will see through the company's desperate tactics and its version of the mine already deemed worse for the environment," said Chief Guichon.
Battison said Taseko is "very confident" that its new proposal will receive government approval. However, he added that the decision is in Ottawa's hands and cautioned that to that too long a delay could scuttle the project's feasibility.
