Brown & Caldwell begins environmental work at Iron Creek cobalt mine

First Cobalt Corporation has announced that it has engaged Brown and Caldwell at the Iron Creek Project in Idaho to provide guidance on permitting and to develop an environmental baseline study strategy. Trent Mell, First Cobalt President and Chief Executive Officer, comments: “Our strategy in 2019 is to advance and de-risk our two key assets: the Iron Creek Project and the First Cobalt Refinery in Ontario, Canada. Environmental and permitting work are critical next steps to progressing Iron Creek towards development. We are pleased to have the experience of Brown and Caldwell as we drive the project forward. On the heels of the maiden resource estimate announced in the fall, this is one of a series of technical programs initiated to help us determine the optimal mining and mineral processing design at Iron Creek. Baseline environmental data is critical to advancing the timeline toward production as we work towards developing an environmentally responsible source of cobalt in North America.”

Mell goes on to say, “Cobalt is essential for the growing electric vehicle market as it is used in lithium-ion batteries, and cobalt assets outside China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo remain exceedingly rare. There is no primary cobalt mining or refining in North America today, and the potential for First Cobalt to produce ethical cobalt in a safe jurisdiction allows us to stand apart.”

Brown and Caldwell's services will be provided from its Boise, Idaho office, which has extensive experience in project permitting, water management, environmental monitoring, and reclamation. The firm will provide permitting guidance and oversee the collection of environmental baseline data at the Iron Creek Project. Water quality data collection commenced in 2017 and is ongoing.

Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, the employee-owned Brown and Caldwell is a full-service environmental engineering and construction firm with over 55 offices and 1,600-plus professionals across North America. For more than 70 years, the firm has helped scores of municipal, federal, and private agencies overcome water and environmental issues. For more information, visit www.brownandcaldwell.com.