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NEWS-LEADING DEVELOPMENTS Teck Liable in Upper Columbia River Litigation The U.S. Federal District Court for Eastern Washington ruled in mid-December 2012 that Teck Metals, Ltd. is liable under U.S. environmental law for contaminating the Columbia river with millions of tons of waste discharged by the Trail, British Columbia zinc-lead smelter during the period from 1930 to 1995. The smelter is located on the Columbia River 10 miles north of the U.S.-Canada border. The Trail smelter stopped discharging granulated slag into the Columbia River in 1995. Teck reports that metal loads in current discharges from the facility are lower than natural metal loads carried by the river and that water quality in the Columbia river at the international border meets or exceeds stringent regulatory levels in both the United States and Canada. The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, which changed its name to Cominco in 1966, owned and operated the Trail smelter during the period in question. Teck acquired a 100% interest in Cominco in 2001. In finding Teck liable under the Comprehensive, Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, also known as Superfund), the court ruled that for decades the smelter operators treated Lake Roosevelt in Washington state as a free, convenient waste disposal facility. The court issued a declaratory judgment that Teck is liable under CERCLA for response costs, the amount of which will be determined in the subsequent phase of the case. The subsequent hearing, with respect to claims for natural resource damages and costs, has not been scheduled and is expected to be deferred until a remedial investigation and feasibility study with respect to environmental conditions in the upper Columbia river is substantially complete. That study, being undertaken by Teck American Inc. (TAI) pursuant to a 2006 agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is currently expected to be completed in 2015. Responding to the court ruling, Teck issued a statement that said, "TAI continues to work the with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Washington, local tribes, and others on studies in the upper Columbia river, which to date have generally shown that the water in the river system meets applicable water quality standards in both Canada and the United States, that the www.e-mj.com Record Number of Explorers Expected for PDAC 2013 in March The annual Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada's (PDAC) Convention is the mineral industry's most popular networking and educational event. The convention's sheer size is impressive. Held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center, it attracted more than 30,000 delegates last year—a record number. No other annual convention for mineral exploration and mining draws a crowd of this size. "Early indicators show both Canadian and international interest is strong again this year," said PDAC President Glenn Nolan. "Trade Show and Investor Exchange exhibits sold out early on and we're seeing many of our 2012 sponsors returning this year. 2013 is shaping up to be another exciting year for the convention." Now in its 81st year, PDAC attracts investors, analysts, mining executives, geologists, prospectors and international government delegations from all over the globe. In 2012, 25% of the delegates were from outside of Canada. The largest number of attendees in 2012 came from the U.S., Australia, England, China and Peru. "The convention has really hit its stride in terms of its place in the global mineral industry," said Nolan. "In the early 1990s, PDAC began to build an international reputation— and the convention went international. Since then, it has come to be known as the global networking opportunity for the mineral exploration and development industry." PDAC Executive Director, Ross Gallinger, who came on board in August 2011, experienced it from the inside for the first time in 2012. Having been part of the mineral exploration industry for years and a regular PDAC delegate, Gallinger said it has become "a massive focal point for the junior exploration sector. "We have expanded programming with an impressive list of speakers for our technical sessions, and innovative touches like our mobile convention guide," said Gallinger. "Our goal is to maintain the quality of the Technical Program and the overall convention experience." The PDAC Convention is actually a convention, trade show and investors exchange in one. The convention includes a technical program (presentations, short courses and workshops), a corporate social responsibility (CSR) event series, an aboriginal program, a student program and networking events. The Technical Program features talks by industry experts that reflect the PDAC's yearround advocacy work as the industry association representing the mineral exploration and development sector in Canada. The program opens with the Commodities and Market Outlook session, and includes other sessions such as Land Access Challenges and Solutions, the keynote session on Risk and Reward in Mining Exploration and Development, Building Aboriginal Capacity for Economic Independence, Financing in a Volatile Market, Geophysics, and Ontario's Ring of Fire: Unlocking Potential and Creating Opportunity. PDAC 2013 is offering a record number of short courses to assist delegates with their professional development goals. Courses will be offered on everything from (Continued on p. 6) More then 30,000 attended the 2012 PDAC in Toronto. This yearÕs conference will be held March 3-6. JANUARY 2013 • E&MJ; 5