Feds approve Giant Mine cleanup plan

The federal minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Developmentapproved the plan to clean up Yellowknife's Giant Mine this week, afterdeliberating over the Mackenzie Valley Review Board's environmental assessmentfor more than a year.

The defunct gold mine is one of the most contaminated sites in the country.

Theapproval means the federal clean-up team can begin applying for the permits and licences required to start the massive remediation plan.

The plans includefreezing 237,000tonnes of arsenictrioxide, a byproduct of decades of mining gold. It alsoinvolvesfilling in underground tunnels and cleaning uptailingsareas.There are about 95 hectares of wasteon the surface of the site.

The minister's approval makes changes to eight of the 26 conditions the review board put on its approval of the project.

One involves wording changestothe board'srecommendationsfor anindependent oversight group for the project.

Another change allows for more optionsfor how Baker Creek could be diverted.

The clean-up plan is estimated to cost about $1 billion.