Mining giant Teck Resources Ltd. says environmental and aboriginal groups have appealed a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to renew a permit for the company's Red Dog mine in Alaska.
The Vancouver-based company said Wednesday that "several environmental and tribal groups" appealed the EPA's renewal of a water discharge permit for the mine, which was due to come into effect March 1.
The appeal was filed by the same groups which last month challenged a decision by the State of Alaska certifying that the same permit complies with the state's water quality standards.
The villages of Kivalina and Point Hope said in January that the permit granted to Teck Alaska, a subsidiary of Teck, is putting their health at risk because it allows Red Dog to put mining discharges into a stream residents use for drinking water.
Until the EPA clarifies which provisions of the permit are subject to appeal, the entire permit will be stayed, Teck said. Teck does not yet know whether access to the Aqqaluk deposit at the Red Dog mine will be affected by the appeal.
If the delays extend beyond May, production at Red Dog will probably be curtailed in October, Teck said. If this happens, production will not resume until the appeal is resolved and the mine can be restarted, which could take up to 18 months.
"Red Dog is committed to the highest environmental standards and has a proven track record of protecting the downstream ecosystem," stated Mike Agg, a senior vice-president at Teck.
"After a robust public process, the agencies issued permits that, in their judgment, will be fully protective of both human health and the environment," Mr. Agg said.
Teck is a diversified resource company with major business units focused on copper, metallurgical coal, zinc and energy. It has operations in Canada, the U.S., Peru and Chile.