The E3 manual

The project known as E3 (Environmental Excellence in Exploration), which is designed to ensure access to public lands through improved education and environmental management practices, is turning its attention to developing an electronic manual.

The so-called e-manual will be designed so that users can gain access to and share information quickly and easily. It will be available on the Internet and CD-ROM, as well as in print format.

When a company or individual enters an area to carry out exploration, it invariably faces environmental and socio-economic challenges. Potential conflicts can often be defused if the party is able to demonstrate to local communities that it will minimize and mitigate the environmental impact of its activities.

Larger companies often elect to fund exploration indirectly by allowing junior companies or individuals to carry out the work and later opt in as joint-venture partners. The problem is that some juniors have insufficient resources available for monitoring environmental performance.

Concern is growing that the chain of environmental responsibility is in danger of breaking. The current, haphazard levels of environmental practices within the industry are insufficient to demonstrate that proper environmental stewardship is being achieved. E3 will effectively “raise the bar” to a more uniform and acceptable level.

There are various reasons why the E3 initiative is important:

– If the industry does not support and implement the program, governments may impose their own standards (in which case the industry is not likely to have the final say).

– Companies will realize benefits in the areas of improved planning, cost savings and environmental performance.

– As E3 matures, it can be used as a benchmark for environmental reviews and audits.

– The program can be used as a training tool for employees, contractors and sub- contractors.

Companies around the world will be able to use the program to plan and conduct exploration activities, and the e-manual will be an essential part of that process. It will carry the added advantages of low-cost subscriptions, updates and widespread distribution.

Users of the e-manual will be encouraged to submit comments and suggestions on such activities as trenching and camp construction. For example, it may be more economical to use a helicopter to mobilize a drill to a difficult location than to build roads, particularly if there are a lot of water crossings. Such suggestions will be made available to all subscribers.

E3 was created in 1999-2000 by a group of mining company representatives and the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC). The budget for the program’s first 15 months totals $500,000, of which $300,000 has been raised. An outline of the overall program will be presented at the Global Mining Initiatives conference, to be held in Toronto in May 2002.

For more information on E3, visit www.pdac.ca/E3

— The author is project manager for the Environmental Excellence in Exploration program.