Goodheart-r, how can they afford to store mined ore while waiting for the rail to be built? This seems unlikely and very costly. If the company starts mining then I think for the purposes of covering expenditures they will move the ores by truck for processing and make whatever money they can, instead of incurring insurmountable debt and interest payments waiting for the N/S rail. The company's stand point still remains the same, does it not? That a decent profit can be made with transporting the ores by road until a rail is established. Regardless of Chinese involvement and the prospect of the profits that can be made moving ores by rail, we still have the issues of EAs for both the rail and the chromite mines, which in itself we have seen is a slow process, fraught with delay, extortion and politcal red tape/agendas..
I agree with Coutts, who seems to be the only one here with a level head here, even if his frustration is getting the best of him. Take care of the FN's concerns first and foremost. Second, build a road to service the native peoples of the north, as well as the mining companies. Third, use Noront's EN as the ROF pilot project to establish a basis for assessing EA issues, the socioeconomics of mining the ROF, development of initial infrastructure, and opening up the much needed access to the indigenous communities and the vast untapped riches of the ROF, as well as Northern Ontario. Fourth, once all of this is addressed then concern yourself with continued domestic and foreign investment in a N/S rail..
Once this done you can look further at allowing progress and enhanced profitability, expansion of services to the FNs, encouraging other companies to see the opportunities in pursuing mining operations in the ROF without the threat of FN reprisal, improve the government's involvement, issue more permitting, and study any environmental assessments that have been approved.
Everyone should be encouraging Noront to succeed, and doing so without the need for great expense or loss of focus. Take Coutt's recommendation and "Keep It Simple Stupid".
TM.
