Scott Stanfield, Black Press, Alberni Valley News, November 18, 2010

The Canadian government will not be initiating a federal panel review of the proposed Raven Underground Coal Project in Baynes Sound, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency confirmed Wednesday.

Based on information from the project proponent and from public comments, the agency and other federal departments have “not identified significant adverse environmental effects that may result from the project after applying standard mitigation measures,” the CEAA said in a statement.

It will continue to assess the project as a comprehensive study but will not refer it to an independent joint federal/provincial expert review panel.

Wednesday’s announcement was yesterday’s news to CoalWatch Comox Valley, a citizens’ movement formed in response to the proposed coal mine.

“We knew they weren’t going to grant us our request for a review panel with public hearings,” CoalWatch president John Snyder said, referring to a September letter from federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice.

Prentice said a review panel is occasionally appointed at any point during a comprehensive study.

“He’s left the door open,” Snyder said. “We’re disappointed, but from our perspective we’re still going to get out there and educate the public on why we think it’s important to have a review panel.”

He said two criteria are needed to warrant a panel: widespread public concern and potential for significant adverse environmental effects from the project.

“We think we’ve met those two criteria, but evidently they don’t see it our way,” said Snyder, who points out more than 95 per cent of 1,900 public comments have expressed concern or outright opposition to the project. “Why that doesn’t meet their requirement for widespread public concern is beyond me.”

The CEAA said it is making $100,000 available under its Participant Funding Program to assist groups and individuals to participate in the federal environmental assessment of the proposed mine. Further details are available at www.ceaa.gc.ca or www.theravenproject.ca.

The mine proposal is a project of Comox Joint Venture, of which Compliance Coal Corporation is the majority partner. The company claims the project has contributed more than $5 million to local economies and would pay out approximately $30 million of its $70 million annual operating costs in direct salaries, wages and benefits.

Compliance has stated the proposed mine will create 200 construction jobs; 335 well-paid, full-time mine, port and transportation jobs; and 500 indirect jobs in the Port Alberni and Comox Valley areas.

“That’s their story and they’re sticking to it,” Snyder said. “There’s also the significant reality that there’s going to be a tremendous amount of shellfish jobs that could be compromised.”

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