Rose Lithium-Tantalum Mining Project - COMEX Announces Virtual Mode Public Hearings

QUÉBEC CITY, Jan. 15, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - The Environmental and Social Impact Review Committee (COMEX) will hold three public hearing sessions on the Critical Elements Corporation Rose Lithium-Tantalum project. The purpose of the hearings is to allow citizens to acquire information about the project, ask questions and transmit opinions. Public participation is an essential part of the review process that enables COMEX to hear the views and concerns of the population before formulating its recommendations, which will be forwarded to the Administrator of section 22 of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

Interested groups and/or individuals are invited to submit written briefs to the COMEX secretariat prior to the hearing sessions. If they wish, they may also make a short oral presentation during the hearings. However, participation in the public hearings is not contingent on the submission of written comments. COMEX rules governing these hearings are available http://comexqc.ca/en/ under "Public Participation ? Directive on the public participation."

In order to optimize planning of the public hearings, the COMEX secretariat wishes to receive advance notice of the intention to present comments on the project by any group or individual. Interested parties should email the executive secretary of COMEX at the following address: [email protected].

For more information on the forthcoming public hearings (rooms, Zoom links, virtual mode process, etc.), please visit the COMEX website at https://comexqc.ca/en/.

THE PROPONENT'S PROJECT PLAN

Critical Elements Corporation plans to operate an open pit lithium-tantalum mine on the Rose property, which is located approximately forty kilometres north of the Cree village of Nemaska on the territory of the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government. The mined ore will be processed to produce both spodumene and tantalum concentrates. The daily production target is 4,600 tonnes of ore, with an expected operating life of 17 years. The planned infrastructure on the site includes an open pit, an ore concentration plant, tailings storage areas and mining water management facilities. The Rose property is accessible from the road that links the Cree village of Nemaska to the Eastmain 1 powerhouse. The project also requires moving a section of the 315 kV Eastmain-1-Nemiscau power line to the east, which will be handled by Hydro-Québec.

DOCUMENTATION

Information about the project is available at http://comexqc.ca/en/ under "Projects ? Rose lithium-tantalum mining project."

COMEX

The Environmental and Social Impact Review Committee (COMEX) is an independent body that reports to the Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MELCC). Its mission is to contribute to the protection of human health and the environment and the economic and social well-being of the peoples inhabiting the territory governed by the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) that lies south of the 55^th parallel.

SOURCE Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques