TSX-, NYSE- and LSE-listed Taseko Mines reports that the Florence town council, in Arizona, in the US, has decided it will not appeal the aquifer protection permit for the company's Florence copper mine which was recently granted by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
Taseko president Stuart McDonald says the company is pleased with this decision and believes this change in approach by the council signals a new beginning.
“Our expectation is that open and productive dialogue will result and that our future together is bright.”
He adds that Taseko believes that two years of operating the test facility within the strict environmental guidelines set out in its current permits, combined with the future economic benefits from the commercial production facility, certainly contributed to the council's decision.
“Transitioning Florence Copper to commercial production, which includes expanding the current wellfield and solvent extraction and electrowinning plant, will mean an average of 85-million pounds of copper a year for 20 years beginning in late 2022.”