News Release
Raven Underground Coal Mine Project – Public Comments Invited and Public Meetings

OTTAWA – May 10, 2011 – The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEA Agency) and the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) invite the public to comment on the draft Application Information Requirements/Environmental Impact Statement Guidelines (draft AIR/EIS Guidelines document) for the proposed Raven Underground Coal Mine Project. This document is available for viewing on the CEA Agency Web site at www.ceaa.gc.ca or the EAO Web site at www.eao.gov.bc.ca, as well as in local viewing centres.

Public meetings are being held as part of this comment period which will be held from May 18, 2011 and which will close June 27, 2011. The purpose of the public meetings is to explain and discuss the contents and significance of the draft AIR/EIS Guidelines document as well as to collect public comments on the document.

Public Meetings will be held as follows:

  • Monday May 30, 2011 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
    Florence Filberg Centre
    411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay
  • Thursday June 2, 2011 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
    Port Alberni Athletic Hall
    3727 Roger Street, Port Alberni
  • Friday June 3, 2011 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
    Union Bay Community Club
    5401 South Island Highway, Union Bay

Displays containing information on the proposed Project and the draft AIR/EIS Guidelines will be available for public viewing from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. At 6 p.m. there will be presentations by the EAO and the CEA Agency on the cooperative environmental assessment process, followed by a presentation by the Proponent in relation to the proposed Project. At 7 p.m., there will be a formal question and answer period.

Compliance Coal Corporation (doing business as the Comox Joint Venture) proposes the development of an underground coal mine, including a coarse and fine rejects rock dump, located approximately 20 kilometres south of Courtenay on eastern Vancouver Island. The proposed development would have a project footprint of about 200 hectares. The majority of the proposed development would occur within the Cowie Creek drainage, which flows into Fanny Bay on Baynes Sound. Compliance Coal Corporation proposes to transport coal from the mine by truck on existing highways 80 kilometres south to the port of Port Alberni. Port upgrading work at Port Alberni is to be conducted by the proponent to enable shipment of coal offshore.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency administers the federal environmental assessment process, which identifies the environmental effects of proposed projects and measures to address those effects, in support of sustainable development.

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Media may contact:

Maxine Leger-Haskell
Communications Advisor
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
613-957-0406

Document Reference Number: 15

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