THE ENVIRONMENTAL review of the planned $404 million project to build a power line up Hwy37 North has started again as of this morning.
The review of the Northwest Transmission Line was to have been finished last month and sent to the provincial government for a decision but was halted so federal environmental authorities could take a closer look at the proposal.
That suspension was over yesterday, leading to today's resumption of the review.
Environmental reviews of major projects in BC are to take 180 days but there can be suspensions along the way if specific items come up which need closer study.
Today's resumption of the review leaves seven days to run on the 180-day clock.
That means the review is now scheduled to be finished Jan. 12 and presented to the provincial environmental and forests, mines and lands ministers for a decision.
The ministers have 45 days in which to make up their minds.
The power line is expected to lead to the development of at least two major copper mines in the region, bringing billions in investment and badly needed jobs to an area which has yet to recover from a virtual shutdown of its once dominant forest industry.
The BC Hydro line will run 340km from the Skeena Substation near Terrace up Hwy37 North to Bob Quinn on Highway 37 North.
Imperial Metals is expected to build a line south from its Red Chris copper deposit to Bob Quinn and NovaGold and Teck are expected to build a line from their Galore Creek copper deposit which is west of Bob Quinn.
At the same time, AltaGas of Calgary is spending hundreds of millions to develop its Forrest Kerr run-of-river hydro project in the Iskut River and will build its own line to Bob Quinn to feed power into the provincial grid via the Northwest Transmission Line.
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