Nebraskan, thank you!
Time frame:
"In the second quarter of fiscal year 2020, the NDEE is expected to continue to review regulatory issues associated with the permit application as well as develop the draft permit"
Ok; So Niocorp is currently in 1st quarter 2020, which ends on 12/31/2019. Second quarter begins Wednesday January 1, 2020.
The salient point:
"Once project financing is obtained and on-the-ground activity commences at the Elk Creek Project site, the Company can legally proceed without the air quality construction permit "
"The NDEE allows for applicants to request a variance under state law to allow construction to start before a final state air quality construction permit is issued. A variance request would only be pursued if issuance of the construction permit extends past the time where the construction of permanent project features is expected to take place."
Major critial path at this point would be:
Financing --> Land acquisition --> Site Preparation
With the Air permit falling any time up to the start of Site Preparation, after which a varience would be requested.
(The entire section from the 11/08/2019 SEDAR post)
Snip....
"In early July 2019, the Company finalized work on the air construction permit application (the “Air Permit”) for the State of Nebraska, and our application for the Air Permit was submitted to the Nebraska Department of Environmental and Energy (“NDEE”) on July 24, 2019. The permit review process will be led by NDEE personnel. The advanced emissions control technologies included as part of the planned Elk Creek Project resulted in prospective air emissions that are below levels that trigger the need for a permit under the federal Prevention of Significant Deterioration (“PSD”) program. As a result, the Elk Creek Project is expected to be able to navigate a more efficient state-level permitting process than is typically encountered under the PSD process.The NDEE notified the Company that the permit application was administratively complete on July 29, 2019, and that the permit application was technically complete on September 27, 2019."
"In the second quarter of fiscal year 2020, the NDEE is expected to continue to review regulatory issues associated with the permit application as well as develop the draft permit.The NDEE allows for applicants to request a variance under state law to allow construction to start before a final state air quality construction permit is issued. A variance request would only be pursued if issuance of the construction permit extends past the time where the construction of permanent project features is expected to take place. or a permit variance to conduct work related to site preparation, land grading and clearing, drilling, geotechnical examination, equipment mobilization, temporary worker support infrastructure, off-site electrical and natural gas supply development, and other earthwork-related activities that are not directly associated with permanent project features"
