Province takes step to remediate mine that leaked acid

The B.C. government has taken a preliminary step to clean up the bankrupt Tulsequah Chief copper mine that has leaked acid-laced run-off for decades.

Last month, the B.C. government put out a request for proposal to remediate the mine, located in the extreme northwest corner of the province near the Alaskan border.

The deadline for proposals was Nov. 29.

The request was issued after remediation plans put forward by Chieftain Metals’ primary secured creditor, West Face Capital, didn’t satisfy the B.C. Ministry of Mines.

If a cleanup proposal is chosen, a final report that includes site-hazard assessment, remediation methods, closure steps and costs is due by Sep. 30, 2019.

The acid run-off from the mine into the Taku River has been a long-standing sore point for B.C. and Alaskan First Nations and environmentalists, and the Alaskan government.

“The B.C. government has taken a first step, but there’s still a lot that has to happen before the mine gets cleaned up,” Chris Zimmer, Alaska campaign director for Rivers Without Borders, said.

B.C. Ministry of Mines spokesman David Haslam said in a written statement that the province is participating in receivership court proceedings in Ontario with the objective of bringing a timely resolution to the ownership, responsibility and liability for the mine property.

“The province remains committed to resolving the ongoing contamination and remediation concerns at the site, and holding all owners, both past and present, accountable for remediation and reclamation,” said Haslam.

There are no up-to-date estimates on how much it would cost to clean up the mine.

An earlier reclamation and closure estimate for an operating mine — from Chieftain Metals’ 2013 feasibility study — came in at $13.8 million, according to Rivers Without Borders.

A reclamation bond of $1.18 million has been put up, according to B.C. government information.

This fall, the Douglas Indian Association, the Taku River Tlingit First Nation and the governor of Alaska wrote letters to the B.C. government calling for the closure and immediate cleanup of the mine site.

On Oct. 31, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker wrote to B.C. Premier John Horgan: “I again encourage the province to do everything you can to expeditiously gain control of the Tulsequah mine site, stop the unpermitted discharges and fully remediate the site.”

The Horgan NDP government took power in B.C. in 2017 after 16 years of B.C. Liberal rule. The Liberal government had acknowledged that cleanup was needed at Tulsequah Chief, but was looking for an industry solution, where a company would buy the mine, operate it and remediate the site.

The Tulsequah Chief underground mine operated from 1951-1957. It was purchased in 1987 by Redfern Resources, which did exploration work and eventually received authority for limited construction activities. After Redfern went into bankruptcy, it was taken over in 2010 by Chieftain Metals, which itself went into receivership in the fall of 2016.

The court-appointed receiver, Grant Thornton, is trying to find a buyer for the company or its assets, which include the Tulsequah Chief mine site, but it’s unclear if there will be any takers.

Chieftain still holds a permit to build the first phase of a mining operation at Tulsequah Chief, including water treatment of the acid-rock drainage.

Chieftain did build a water-treatment plant as part of its development, but the facility only operated briefly due to its cost.