Fraser-Fort George Regional District directors voted unanimously Thursday in favour of adopting the official community plan and zoning amendments for establishment of a lime plant and quarry in the Giscome area.
Electoral area F (Willow River-Upper Fraser) director Kevin Dunphy spoke in favour of the move prior to the vote, saying the project has been a long time coming and that the so-called Eastline area needs economic activity.
The proponent, Richmond-based Graymont Western Canada Inc., has secured all the permits it needs, he added, "so I don't really see too much further that we need to take this and I think we should go through it today and carry on."
With the approval, the plant should be up and running in about two years, directors were told.
The company has said the project will cost $80-$90 million and take about 18 months to build. Once completed, there will be a lime-producing plant near the southwest shore of Eaglet Lake centred on one kiln but with enough room to add two more.
The quarry will be located 4.3 kilometres to the southeast and feed the plant material via a conveyor which will be covered to reduce noise and dust. A 600-metre spur line will connect the plant to the CN Rail mainline and will be used to transport most of the product.
However, trucks will be used to haul lime to local pulp mills who use the product, those who attended a Nov. 29 public hearing on the matter were told.
According to the meeting minutes, Graymont representative Rob Beleutzs said one kiln will mean seven 40-ton trucks will be traveling to and from the site each day.
The company has also been talking to Coastal GasLink about getting a natural gas pipeline extended to the plant. If that falls through, the kilns will be heated with coal brought in by rail.
Preliminary engineering on a pipeline has been completed but detailed engineering and obtaining the right of way for the pipeline are still required, David Chamberlain, who also represented Graymont, told the meeting.
The plant was first proposed in 2007 but soon put on hold over concerns about how the provincial government would treat greenhouse gas emissions from the operation.
But by 2013, it was back in play and became a source of some controversy as concern was expressed about emissions from the plant and their effect on the local population as well as the quality of adjacent farmland.
The project met with Northern Health approval although Graymont is required to carry out monitoring to make sure the actual emissions line up with the modelled or predicted outcomes.
Once in operation, it will initially extract up to 600,000 tonnes of limestone per year, rising to 1.7 million tonnes per year at full build, and employ 10-15 people fulltime.
The Lheidli T'enneh are in support of the project, directors were told.
In 2014, the two signed a cooperation agreement through which the First Nation stands to see economic benefits from the proposed development. The agreement also addresses potential concerns about archeological sites, traditional use in the area and environmental impacts.
