Re: Report Leery of Mine Effects, Nov. 1
Friends of the Nemaiah Valley (FONV) feels vindicated by this independent panel's report. We have maintained all along that Taseko's New Prosperity Mine would be a disaster for the environment and for Aboriginal rights. We have consistently maintained that it would deliver far less economic benefit than the proponent and their boosters claimed.
The panel has stated loud and clear, having drawn on the best science available, from both levels of government, from independent scientists, and from academia, that water quality cannot be maintained, that the effects on fish are so serious that they cannot be mitigated, and that Fish Lake will die. They have found that the effects on Aboriginal rights would be seriously adverse and could not be mitigated. Similarly, the effects on grizzly bears that are already adverse and accumulative would be exacerbated, and that attempts at mitigation would be challenging or problematical.
This is the third time this mine has gone through review and each time the results have shown that it is a bad project. For all the attempted spin by Taseko spokespersons, this project is all but dead. The community leaders in towns like Williams Lake and 100 Mile House should stop pinning their hopes on a really bad project, and get down to planning a sustainable future for their communities based on respect for the environment and for the First Nations communities with whom they must learn to share the land and resources.
It would be a very bad idea to continue to push something that has proven to be unworkable.
Yours Truly,
David Williams
executive director
Friends of the Nemaiah Valley
