Update 1 – British Columbia gov’t review to look at all mine tailings ponds – MSN Money

August 18, 2014

VANCOUVER, Aug 18 (Reuters) – The Canadian province of British Columbia said on Monday it has ordered an independent review of all tailings ponds at every permitted mine in the province in the wake of a major spill at Imperial Metals Corp’s Mount Polley mine.

Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett also said an independent panel would investigate the tailings dam breach, which sent billions of gallons of mine waste, or tailings, into waterways in central British Columbia.

“Of course we’re concerned about what this accident has done to public confidence, not only in mining but in the natural resource sector generally,” said the minister at a press conference, even as he emphasized how rare the accident was. “The public’s confidence, I think, is shaken.”

Since the Aug. 4 breach, calls for more oversight in British Columbia’s mining sector have become louder. The disaster comes at time when energy and resource projects in the province already face increased scrutiny from aboriginal groups and environmentalists, who worry that their risks may outweigh their rewards.

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