VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - May 13, 2015) - Nevada Copper Corp. (NCU.TO) ("Nevada Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on permitting, land transfer and conveyance at its 100% owned Pumpkin Hollow Project located near Yerington, Nevada.
Permitting
With completion of the land transfer and conveyance, all project activities will be regulated under Nevada State and local regulations and requirements. Permitting for the underground mining and processing component of the project has been completed, and shaft sinking and underground development have been proceeding pursuant to the issued air, water, reclamation, including bonding, and other permits.
As of May 8, 2015 all permit applications necessary for the large open pit and underground Integrated Project have been submitted and are progressing according to plan. This permitting involves modification of our existing State air pollution control and reclamation permits to allow for the larger open pit operation and a 70,000 tons/day concentrator. Prior to submission of those applications, Nevada Copper and its representatives have worked closely with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection to assure that the applications met all State requirements. Modifications to the existing State permits are scheduled to be completed in Q3-2015.
Federal Land Transfer and Conveyance
Since passage by U.S. Congress of legislation (the "Act") in December 2014 to authorize conveyance of approximately 10,400 acres of land to the City of Yerington (the "City"), Nevada Copper and the City have been working with the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") to expedite the land conveyance. A Congressional decision to convey the lands is not appealable however there are several procedural reviews needed to complete the land conveyance. The BLM and the City have executed various agreements and all parties are working diligently and cooperatively to try to complete the land conveyance in Q3-2015.
Details of the activities and procedural reviews needed to complete the land conveyance are summarized below:
Land Survey, Appraisal and Patents
The BLM, with support from a Certified Federal Surveyor has completed the field survey of lands in the conveyance area, which provides the precise legal description for the deeds and the appraisal.
The Office of Valuation Services, the federal agency responsible for determining valuation, has approved a certified federal appraiser (the "contractor") and issued appraisal instructions to the contractor. The contractor is expected to complete the appraisal by early June 2015.
The Nevada State Office of the BLM is preparing deed documents for the official conveyance. Once these are completed a Federal Register Notice is published to notify the public of the closing of the conveyance.
Environmental Reviews
Several federal procedural reviews are needed to complete the land conveyance. These include:
- A National Environmental Policy Act environmental review. This relates only to the land being conveyed and is not related to Nevada Copper's proposed mine operation or any other proposed future use of the land. The draft assessment, which has been completed and been released for public review, is expected to be finalized by early June 2015. The conveyance is nondiscretionary and under the Act the BLM must convey the lands to the City in accordance with the Act.
- A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment - to identify any hazardous material/waste impacts and environmental conditions that may affect the property conveyance has been completed. The report did not identify any significant environmental hazards and primarily documented the presence of known exploration and historic mining activities.
- Compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act ("NHPA"). There are no sites identified within the areas of mine development, and based on advice to the City, the BLM and the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office are working on a Memorandum of Agreement ("MOA") to complete the NHPA review process by June 2015. Once the MOA is signed, the conveyance can be completed.
Tim Dyhr, Vice President of Environment & External Relations, commented, "We are very pleased with the progress and level of effort by the City, BLM and contractors to complete the necessary procedural aspects of the conveyance. The City is in almost daily contact with the BLM to assure that all necessary resources are available to complete the transfer on a timely basis. The Nevada Congressional delegation is also in regular communication with the BLM to expedite the land transfer. In the meantime, we continue to advance final permitting for the open pit component of the project."
NEVADA COPPER CORP.
Giulio T. Bonifacio, President & CEO
We seek safe harbour