Last Thursday, a federal review panel said that a revised mine plan for Taseko Mines’ New Prosperity copper-gold project in British Columbia still poses a threat to the environment. According to the panel, the project could harm land and resources used by certain aboriginal groups, in addition to the water quality and fish in Fish Lake. In 2010, Ottawa blocked the development of the Taseko project based on worries about damage to the environment, but Taseko claims that the new plan addresses those concerns. Aboriginal groups and other opponents of the project, however, feel that the revised plan would still harm Fish Lake and the rights of indigenous groups in the area. The panel has offered several recommendations to consider if the project is approved, including rerouting a transmission line in order to avoid damage to certain aboriginal lands. Although the panel is not a decisionmaking body, it is likely to play an important role in the environment minister’s final decision regarding whether the project should be allowed to proceed. A decision is expected by the end of February 2014. For the full story, see http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/01/us-taseko-mine-idUKBRE9A005J20131101.