Mining News: News Nuggets: Donlin passes another permitting milestone

Novagold Resources Inc. June 1 reported completion of the public comment phase for the Donlin Gold draft environmental impact statement. “Successful completion of the public comment period represents a key milestone as we take Donlin Gold up the value chain for the benefit of all of the project’s stakeholders,” said Novagold President and CEO Greg Lang. Donlin Gold LLC – equally owned by subsidiaries of Novagold Resources Inc. and Barrick Gold Corp. – initiated permitting for Donlin Gold in 2012, a process estimated to take roughly five years. In November, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published the draft EIS for Donlin. The Donlin Gold Mine being considered in the draft EIS includes a 53,500-metric-ton-per-day mill that is expected to produce an average of 1.1 million ounces of gold annually for 27 years. During its first five years of operation, this annual average will be closer to 1.5 million oz. Since November, the Corps hosted 17 meetings in communities across the Yukon-Kuskokwim region of western Alaska where the 39-million-ounce Donlin Gold deposit is located and in Anchorage. At each meeting, the Corps presented an overview of the draft EIS, which evaluates the potential environmental, social and economic impacts of the proposed project and alternatives, and has encouraged local residents to communicate what the project means to them and their families. “I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to all the individuals who participated in multiple public meetings and submitted valuable comments to the Corps. The involvement and input by the local communities further strengthens Donlin Gold’s objective of being a model development project, environmentally and socially responsible as well as offering a unique opportunity to ensure a prosperous future for the Yukon-Kuskokwim region and the broader state of Alaska for many decades to come,” Lang added. The final EIS is expected around the end of 2017.