nuclear-news

AREVA’s environmental plan for uranium mining rejected by Nunavut

“Barry McCallum [Areva’s manager of Nunavut affairs] from Areva has been boasting about how many thousands of pages long their draft environmental impact statement is. It appears that size isn’t everything,” said Jack Hicks, a member of Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit, in an email.

Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit has lobbied against the Kiggavik project for years and is opposed to uranium mining in Nunavut….

NIRB gives Areva failing grade on Kiggavik’s draft EIS Environmental review on uranium scheme stalled NUNATSIAQ NEWS,  Nunavut January 20, 2012 The Kiggavik uranium project, about 80 km from Baker Lake, would cost
$2.1 billion to build … The Nunavut Impact Review Board has rejected Areva Canada’s
draft environmental statement and said an environmental review cannot begin until the company fixes its work.
An environmental review of Nunavut’s first uranium mine is stalled for the time being, following a decision by the Nunavut Impact Review Board to reject an 11-volume draft environmental impact statement from Areva Canada on its proposed Kiggavik uranium extraction project near Baker Lake.

“Until the deficiencies in the submission as identified by the NIRB in
this letter have been addressed and the NIRB subsequently determines
that the DEIS conforms with the EIS Guidelines, the technical review
of the submission will not commence,” Ryan Barry, the executive
director of the NIRB, wrote Jan. 18 in a letter to Areva.

Areva submitted the massive document to the review board in late
December. The board acknowledged receipt Jan. 3 and began an in-house
review of the draft EIS. The review board’s staff found Areva’s work
did not conform to guidelines worked out in an earlier public process
due to “deficiencies” in the statement.

For example, the draft EIS was supposed to state “Whether the project
would unduly prejudice the ecosystemic integrity of the Nunavut
Settlement Area.”

But the review board found Kiggavik did not include a statement about
this in its draft EIS. A 59-page table attached to its letter
describes numerous deficiencies.

“Barry McCallum [Areva’s manager of Nunavut affairs] from Areva has
been boasting about how many thousands of pages long their draft
environmental impact statement is. It appears that size isn’t
everything,” said Jack Hicks, a member of Nunavummiut
Makitagunarningit, in an email.

Nunavummiut Makitagunarningit has lobbied against the Kiggavik project
for years and is opposed to uranium mining in Nunavut….
http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nirb_gives_areva_failing_grade_on_kiggaviks_draft_eis/

January 21, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, environment