Babjak

Excellent digging on your part!

I was digging for info on the progress of the EA review for both NOT and CLF. Found the same documents and and just looked at them briefly. I have not spent enough time for detailed comments. But here are some initial remarks.

1. NOT case is progressing well

2. Better than CLF, in my opinion, since they have the FNs on board (there was a letter in the submission from the joint chiefs) and underground operation (see 8. below).

3. The FNs want the infrastructures for their communities as well. So funding from both government levels would come in (at least development of the north is a current Fed gov priority)

4. EA is probably simpler, since the roads follow existing roads.

5. There are a whole bunch of questions raised from the initial review (Table 1) but a quick glance seems to indicate that they are routine questions expected from an EA review. Most of them are for clarifications, some are quite simple, but others would take some work to provide the requested info. As expected, fish well-being and effect of the operation (run-offs, etc) on fish habitat seem to dominate. Caribou protection is mention, but no mention of birds (no bird up there?)

6. There are some remarks above compliance with other regulations, e.g. airport, but answers should be easy...e.g. just comply with the rules how to build airports, DOT staff will assist when you sit down with them.

7. Clarifications about production (ore, or ore plus other waste material and how many tonnes per year, per day for consitency...but they are easy questions).

In fact, this is one area I was trying to sort out. Perhaps some experts on the board could help. How many truck loads (those 50/75 ton monsters) per day going SW would be required to take the stuff out from one end of the (ice) roads (assuming the availability of just a few months during deep dark winter for trucking) to the other end...from the stockpiles at both ends. Presumably the trucks going NE to the site would carry something (cars, skidoos, etc...lettuce?) rather than coming up empty.

8. Underground operation may also be a plus for NOT (smaller footprint on the surface compared to open pit). How knows, but NOT may be ahead of CLF with its initial production, while waiting for the RR to be built by a consortium of stakesholders.

Just my rambling thoughts folks.

goldhunter