Toronto-based Orvana Minerals Corp. (TSE:ORV) says that the company, together with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), have agreed to extend the permit decision deadline for its Copperwood copper project in the state.
The company has withdrawn the Wetland permit application in order to provide more time for review by the MDEQ and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The permit application will be resubmitted before the end of November, Orvana said, with expectations of a final decision before the end of January 2013.
As prescribed in the State of Michigan regulations, a draft of the Wetland permit application was submitted in October last year, and since then, the company and the MDEQ have worked to move the application through the review process.
The extension allows the EPA more time to review the permit application and its modifications as agreed upon by Orvana and MDEQ.
"Orvana wishes to thank the Copperwood Project team, consultants and the local community for their support and will continue to work with the MDEQ on advancing the Wetland Permit through the approval process," said COO of Orvana, Jim Jacques.
"While primary wetland-fill activities have been generally agreed upon for construction, remaining details for suitable wetland mitigation must be finalized."
Orvana Minerals is a multi-mine gold and copper producer. Its primary asset is the El Valle-Boinas/Carles gold-copper mine in northern Spain and also operates the Don Mario Upper Mineralized Zone mine in Bolivia, which is a copper-gold-silver deposit.
In addition, the company is advancing its Copperwood project in Michigan, USA.
Earlier this month, Orvana said that the MDEQ granted the discharge permits for its Copperwood mine in the state's Upper Peninsula. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits are for the treated sanitary and process wastewaters at the proposed mine.
"The DEQ has forged a strong working relationship with Orvana during its permit application. Our goal is permitting a successful operation that considers the environment, and we are pleased that Orvana's leaders share this goal," said MDEQ director, Dan Wyant, in the Orvana statement on Wednesday.
"The proposed mine at Copperwood has been thoroughly considered and we will work with the company to expeditiously complete the permitting process."
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