Aqqaluk Project NEPA Process
On May 4, 2007, Teck Cominco Alaska Incorporated (TCAK) requested
a modification to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) permit AK-003865-2 to include the development of the Aqqaluk
Project. The Aqqaluk deposit is located adjacent to the existing
main deposit.
Modifying the NPDES permit to include development
of the Aqqaluk deposit triggered a National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) review, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
as the lead agency. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (COE), State of Alaska, National Park Service
(NPS), and nine tribal governments represented by the Maniilaq Association
(the Native Village of Buckland, the Native Village of Kiana, the Native
Village of Kivalina, the Native Village of Kobuk, the Native Village
of Kotzebue, the Native Village of Noatak, the Noorvik Native Community,
the Native Village of Selawik, and the Native Village of Shungnak)
will participate closely as cooperating agencies. A Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) must be completed, to update
the environmental impact statement developed in 1984 when the first
NPDES permit was issued for discharges from the mine.
Scoping is the first step in the NEPA public process. The scoping
process began when EPA published the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare
an SEIS in the Federal Register on August 31, 2007. Information
related to this process, including the scoping document for public
and agency review and comment, can be downloaded at: http://www.reddogseis.com/
EPA will host four Aqqaluk Project scoping open houses/public meetings.
The times and locations of the open houses/public meetings are as
follows:
| Anchorage |
October 2, 2007 |
| Kotzebue |
October 3, 2007 |
| Noatak |
October 4, 2007 |
| Kivalina |
October 5, 2007 |
Each scoping meeting will include an informal open house held from
3:30 to 5:30 PM. This will be followed by a public meeting
from 6:30 to 9:00 PM that will include a presentation of the project
by EPA and the cooperating agencies and formal public testimony.
The scoping comment period will end on October 15, 2007. EPA will
then review all comments, identify the issues, and distribute a final
scoping document along with a scoping responsiveness summary to the
public and to the State and Federal agencies and Tribal governments
by the end of November 2007. The scoping responsiveness summary will
summarize comments received during the scoping period and describe
how EPA intends to respond to them during the SEIS process.
Following the scoping process and identification of issues, the third
party contractor, Tetra Tech, Inc., will prepare an SEIS under EPA’s
direction. The public is welcome to participate throughout the SEIS
process, and there are specific points at which public input is specifically
sought. These are listed below, along with their tentative dates,
though schedule changes will likely occur.
| Public participation process: |
|
Distribution of Draft SEIS for public/agency
review |
Summer 2008 |
|
Draft SEIS open houses and public hearings |
Summer 2008 |
|
Close of public/agency Draft SEIS review period |
Late Summer 2008 |
|
Distribution of Final SEIS |
December 2008 |
|
EPA Record of Decision and NPDES permit decision |
Open |
If you would like to find out more about the state’s permitting process for the Red Dog Mine, please contact:
State of Alaska Large Mine Permitting Team
Jack DiMarchi, Project Manager
ADNR / Office of Project Management & Permitting
3700 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK 99709
Telephone: (907) 374-3708
Fax: (907) 451-2703
Email: john.dimarchi@alaska.gov
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