An Environmental Assessment Certificate has been filed by Telkwa Coal Limited for its Tenas Project.
According to an announcement this will activate a nine month review process by the BC Environmental Assessment Office.
It added that it will be assessed by the 2002 Act because of transitional provisions of the 2018 Act that is in place.
The process will allow for a one to two month screening, six months review and two months of a joint decision by the Ministers for the Environment, and Energy, Mining and Natural Resources.
The certificate was originally scheduled to be filed in late 2020 or early 2021 but was delayed 15 months from the original target date.
“A combination of prudence and caution in preparing the application coupled with a voluntary nine month pause in the pre-application phase of the process by Telkwa Coal,” said the announcement.
It added that requests from the Office of Wet’suwet’en were the key reasons for the delay.
The release said that they are better placed in knowledge that the application is more robust and they have reached a point in consultation with the OW.
Telkwa Coal also said the timing of the decision could depend on the quality of the application that has been submitted.