Mining projects in New Mexico are evaluated on the basis of social, economic, cultural, environmental impacts, as outlined by US regulations such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as well as state permitting regulations.
The NEPA process generally includes the following components: 1) development of a proposed action; 2) baseline data collection; 3) scoping; 4) development of alternatives; 5) description of the existing environment; 6) mitigation measures; 7) impact evaluation; 8) preparation of both a Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statements ("EIS"); and 9) a public participation and review process.
IC Potash announced the launch of environmental permitting work on April 11th, 2011 and, subsequently announced on September 11th, 2011, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the purpose of commencing the formal portion of environmental approvals for the company's New Mexico sulphate of potash (SOP) operations. The MOU defines the respective responsibilities, conditions and procedures to be followed by the company and the BLM during the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. The company submitted the Mine Plan of Operations (proposed action), which describes the operation and forms the basis for the EIS analysis. The BLM has selected AECOM as the contractor to conduct the EIS.
IC Potash has contracted with INTERA Geosciences and Engineering of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to manage the environmental permitting process and lead the team of specialized scientists and engineers that will complete the work. INTERA is an international geoscience and engineering consulting firm with over 110 employees and offices in the United States, France and Switzerland. Established in 1974, INTERA has a 37-year history of providing environmental and water resources services.
The company is also working with Walsh Environmental Scientists and Engineers LLC to collect some of the environmental baseline data. Walsh's services include mine permitting, NEPA compliance, renewable energy, and oil and gas, as well as a variety of services to government and industry, including engineering, remediation, ecological investigations, permitting and compliance, and site assessment.