My image of mining is clear, and I am not opposed to mining. My concern is with the level of industrial activity in one valley.

The Bingay mine footprint may be small in comparison to the other local mines, but consider the new infrastructure required and the area of disturbance becomes huge.

Government funding for education and health care does not hinge on this project. Elk Valley residents have poor access to health care, and are forced to travel for better service. Yet we are the ones losing recreational opportunities, and watching our local environment and wildlife being impacted.

If this mine were to happen, residents would lose access to the direct mining area, wildlife movement would be disrupted, and the land base would never be the same again. If I were a betting man I would say that local health care and education remain the same.

My thoughts,

Sam

Your image of mining is influenced by the legacy of the existing Elk Valley mines. Bingay mine’s impact will be small in comparison.

BC’s education and health care systems are in desperate need of additional funding and our communities require additional monies to cover expensive capital improvement projects.

The investment and tax revenue from Bingay will benefit the valley and the province, and the environmental cost will be minimized.

Centermount looks forward to your involvement in the Environmental Assessment process.

Regards, Dan

I agree with you that the biggest threat facing the valley is the cumulative effects of all the industrial projects. In the near future the five existing coal mines will be expanding their footprints to maintain production. The addition of a sixth mine such as Centermounts Bingay project compounds this issue. This level of industrial activity is not sustainable, and wildlife, the environment, and residents will pay the price.

Even though Centermounts mine plan may not contact the river it does plan to have a conveyor belt move coal across it. I don’t know how an open pit, processing plant, and all the associated infrastructure requred to move the coal(eg. a rail line, gas line, paved enlarged road) will not compromise the landscape? This is all situated in a relatively narrow portion of the Elk valley, and will have negative effects on wildlife movement.

The local economy is good, with a shortage of workers, not jobs. The environmental costs out way the economic benefits this project would have.

Cheers,

Sam Medcalf

The Bingay Creek mine site is designated as a Coal Enhanced Resource Development Zone in the Southern Rocky Mountain Management Plan. This designation signifies an assurance of long-term security of access and tenures to these lands for coal mining exploration and development purposes. I believe you represented Wildsight in the SRMMP process.

Those “shipping containers left behind” contain ongoing environmental benchmark studies, drilling samples and other materials.

Bingay mine is located close to the Elk River however the mine plan has no contact with the river. The Environmental Assessment is planned to begin this year with an objective plan to collect and treat any water containing selenium, nitrates or phosphorus.

Modern mining manages water issues and yields reclamation that does not compromise the landscape. The present selenium issues in the Elk Valley are a legacy from old mining techniques. The Bingay mine will have a small footprint; it will be a fraction of what Elk Valley residents are accustomed to. The small footprint is a direct result of the shape of the coal deposit, underground mining, and employing modern mining techniques.

Centermount Coal looks forward to Wildsight’s involvement and feedback in the Environmental Assessment process. Bingay mine is planned to be small, modern and responsible.

Best Regards,

Dan Savage
Centermount Coal