Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 10, 2023) - Barksdale Resources Corp. (TSXV: BRO) (OTCQX: BRKCF) ("Barksdale" or the "Company") is providing an update on the legal matters related to the Company's Sunnyside copper-lead-zinc-silver exploration project in Arizona.
Rick Trotman, President and CEO, comments, "I stand by the excellent work that the Barksdale and USFS teams have completed at Sunnyside during an intensive four-year permitting timeframe. The US permitting process is extremely robust and comprehensive, which ensures protection of the environment while meeting the needs of the local communities and strategic national priorities. Barksdale remains aligned with all stakeholders to advance the Sunnyside project and deliver much-needed critical metals to the US for the transition towards net-zero."
Background
Over the past six weeks the Company has made major permitting progress at its Sunnyside project in Arizona. The United States Forest Service ("USFS") completed the Environmental Assessment in January 2023 and on June 16, 2023, it subsequently issued a Decision Memorandum and a Finding of No Significant Impacts. These determinations, as well as our two State of Arizona permits and an Army Corp of Engineers approval, are the major permitting milestones needed for Sunnyside to proceed.
On June 20, 2023 a lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona ("USD Court") against the USFS by various non-profit environmental groups ("Plaintiffs") seeking to set aside the USFS's recently issued decisions related to the Company's Sunnyside project (Environmental Assessment, Decision Memorandum and Finding of No Significant Impact) as well as that of a nearby project (Decision Notice), both of which are exploration staged projects located in the Patagonia Mountains of southern Arizona.
As it relates to the Sunnyside project, the Plaintiffs' complaint alleges that the USFS made certain errors in its analysis related to cumulative impacts of the various exploration and mining projects in the area, potential effects to various species of wildlife, and baseline conditions of groundwater resources. Barksdale believes that Plaintiffs' allegations are unfounded and that the 4.5 year permitting process was intensive and comprehensive.
Engagement of Legal Counsel
Despite not being named directly in the legal action, Barksdale seeks to ensure that its interests are protected. Therefore, the Company has retained counsel. In the coming days Barksdale intends to file a Motion to Intervene with the USD Court, which, if approved, will allow Barksdale to join the ongoing litigation and work in concert with the Department of Justice (representing the USFS) to defend the USFS's decisions related to Sunnyside.
Injunction Request
With all the major permits in hand, Barksdale only needs an approved Plan of Operations ("PoO") to proceed with its planned drilling program at Sunnyside. The USFS estimated that this would be complete in July. In an attempt to prevent Barksdale from drilling, the Plaintiffs threatened to file a temporary restraining order ("TRO") with the USD Court. The TRO process is very quick (occurs within a few days) and involves oral arguments to the presiding judge. The judge then needs to make a decision based on minimal data and with little background. Rather than risking a poor outcome based on limited information and a quick timeframe, both Barksdale and the nearby project management have independently agreed to a voluntary delay of drilling activity until a preliminary injunction ("PI") request can be heard by the USD Court. The PI process is effectively a "mini trial" where all parties submit evidence, and the judge is given an opportunity to digest the information prior to making a ruling.
The PI process involves the following steps: 1) the Plaintiffs will file a motion for preliminary injunction by July 14; (ii) Barksdale/USFS and the other project management will file responses in opposition to Plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction by August 4; (iii) Plaintiffs shall file a reply by August 18; (iv) oral arguments are scheduled on August 24; and (v) the USD Court will issue a decision, hopefully before September 15. Please note that these dates have been agreed to by USFS/Barksdale/Plaintiffs' and have been agreed to by the USD Court. The Plaintiffs will need to demonstrate to the USD Court that they are likely to succeed on the entire lawsuit, intimating that the proper process was not followed by the government and that Barksdale's drilling activities will cause irreparable harm. This is a very high bar for projects that already have existing road networks, existing drill pads and historic drilling.
Agreement to Delay Drilling
The Company voluntarily agreed with the Plaintiffs and the Department of Justice to delay drilling at Sunnyside until September 15. In the meantime, Barksdale will continue to work with the USFS to finalize and approve the Company's PoO such that drilling can be initiated immediately following the USD Court's ruling. Barksdale has communicated this delay to its drilling contractor, who will ensure that at least one drill rig and crew are ready for mobilization.
Full Timeline for Lawsuit
After the PI ruling, the USD Court will proceed with scheduling the overarching legal action filed by the Plaintiffs. Based on current estimates, this will likely take between twelve and eighteen months. If the judge rules favorably with the USFS/Barksdale on the PI request, Barksdale will be able to execute its planned drilling program while the legal action unfolds.
Impact to the Option Agreement for Sunnyside
Barksdale currently holds a 51% interest in the Sunnyside project, subject to completing the terms of its option agreement with Regal Resources Inc. within two years of all drilling permits being granted. After completing the initial term, Barksdale can increase its ownership to 67.5% over an additional two-year time frame. Both two-year terms can be accelerated at Barksdale's discretion. With all major permits in hand, the final remaining approval is the PoO.
In the event that the USFS completes the PoO for Sunnyside prior to September 15, 2023, the initial two-year option period will commence. The Company plans to promptly declare Force Majeure upon receipt of the approved PoO, stopping the clock on the two-year option period until a ruling can be made by the USD Court related to the PI request.
Barksdale Resources Corp., a 2023 OTCQX BEST 50 Company, is a base metal exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., that is focused on the acquisition, exploration and advancement of highly prospective base metal projects in North America. Barksdale is currently advancing the Sunnyside copper-zinc-lead-silver and San Antonio copper projects, both of which are in the Patagonia mining district of southern Arizona, as well as the San Javier copper-gold project in central Sonora, Mexico.
ON BEHALF OF BARKSDALE RESOURCES CORP.
Rick Trotman
President, CEO and Director
Rick@barksdaleresources.com
Terri Anne Welyki
Vice President of Communications
778-238-2333
TerriAnne@barksdaleresources.com
For more information please phone 778-558-7145, email info@barksdaleresources.com or visit .
不列顛哥倫比亞省溫哥華--(Newsfile Corp. — 2023 年 7 月 10 日)— BARKSDALE Resources Corp.(多倫多證券交易所股票代碼:BRO)(OTCQX:BRKCF)(“Barksdale”或者“公司”)正在提供與該公司在亞利桑那州的桑尼賽德銅鉛鋅銀勘探項目有關的最新法律事務。
總裁兼首席執行官裏克·特羅特曼評論說:“我支持Barksdale和USFS團隊在爲期四年的密集許可時間內在森尼賽德完成的出色工作。美國的許可程序非常健全和全面,可確保保護環境,同時滿足當地社區的需求和國家戰略優先事項。Barksdale仍然與所有利益相關者保持一致,以推進森尼賽德項目,並向美國運送急需的關鍵金屬,以實現向淨零過渡。”
背景
在過去的六週裏,該公司在亞利桑那州的桑尼賽德項目取得了重大許可進展。美國林務局 (”USFS“)於2023年1月完成了環境評估,隨後於2023年6月16日發佈了決策備忘錄和沒有重大影響的調查結果。這些決定,以及我們的兩份亞利桑那州許可證和陸軍工程兵團的批准,是森尼賽德繼續前進所需的主要許可里程碑。
2023 年 6 月 20 日,美國亞利桑那特區地方法院提起訴訟(”美元 法庭“) 各種非營利性環保組織反對USFS(”原告“)試圖擱置USFS最近發佈的與公司桑尼賽德項目(環境評估、決策備忘錄和沒有重大影響的調查結果)以及附近項目(決策通知)有關的決定,這兩個項目都是位於亞利桑那州南部巴塔哥尼亞山脈的勘探階段項目。
由於涉及桑尼賽德項目,原告的申訴稱,美國聯邦調查局在分析中犯了某些錯誤,這些錯誤涉及該地區各種勘探和採礦項目的累積影響、對各種野生動物物種的潛在影響以及地下水資源的基線狀況。Barksdale認爲,原告的指控是沒有根據的,爲期4.5年的許可程序既密集又全面。
聘請法律顧問
儘管在法律訴訟中沒有被直接點名,但Barksdale力求確保其利益得到保護。因此,公司聘請了律師。在接下來的幾天裏,Barksdale打算向美國法院提出干預動議,該動議如果獲得批准,將允許Barksdale加入正在進行的訴訟,並與司法部(代表USFS)合作,爲USFS與桑尼賽德有關的決定辯護。
禁令申請
有了所有主要許可證,Barksdale只需要一份經批准的運營計劃即可(”PoO“)繼續在桑尼賽德進行計劃中的鑽探計劃。美國聯邦調查局估計,這項工作將在7月完成。爲了阻止Barksdale進行鑽探,原告威脅要提交臨時限制令(”TRO“)向美國法院提起訴訟。TRO程序非常迅速(在幾天之內完成),包括向主審法官進行口頭辯論。然後,法官需要根據最少的數據和很少的背景做出決定。Barksdale和附近的項目管理層沒有因爲信息有限和時間安排短而冒着結果不佳的風險,而是獨立同意自願將鑽探活動推遲到初步禁令發佈之前(”PI“) 請求可以由美國法院審理。PI 程序實際上是一個 “小型審判”,各方都提交證據,法官有機會在作出裁決之前消化信息。
PI程序包括以下步驟:1) 原告將在7月14日之前提出初步禁令動議;(ii) barksdale/USFS和其他項目管理層將在8月4日之前對原告的初步禁令動議作出回應;(iii) 原告應在8月18日之前提交答覆;(iv) 定於8月24日進行口頭辯論;(v) 美國法院將發出決定,希望在9月15日之前。請注意,這些日期已得到USFS/Barksdale/Plaintiffs的同意,並已得到美國法院的同意。原告需要向美國法院證明他們很可能會在整個訴訟中取得成功,暗示政府沒有遵循適當的程序,Barksdale的鑽探活動將造成無法彌補的傷害。對於已經擁有現有道路網絡、現有鑽臺和歷史鑽探的項目來說,這是一個非常高的門檻。
延遲鑽探的協議
該公司自願同意原告和司法部的協議,將森尼賽德的鑽探推遲到9月15日。同時,Barksdale將繼續與USFS合作,敲定和批准該公司的PoO,以便在美國法院作出裁決後立即開始鑽探。Barksdale已向其鑽探承包商通報了這一延遲,承包商將確保至少有一臺鑽機和工作人員做好動員準備。
訴訟的完整時間表
PI裁決後,美國法院將繼續安排原告提起的總體法律訴訟。根據目前的估計,這可能需要十二到十八個月的時間。如果法官就PI請求對USFS/BarksDale作出有利的裁決,那麼在法律訴訟展開期間,Barksdale將能夠執行其計劃中的鑽探計劃。
對森尼賽德期權協議的影響
Barksdale目前持有Sunnyside項目51%的權益,但須在所有鑽探許可證獲得後的兩年內完成與Regal Resources Inc.的期權協議條款。完成初始任期後,Barksdale可以在另外兩年的時間內將其所有權增加到67.5%。兩個爲期兩年的任期均可由Barksdale自行決定。由於所有主要許可證都已準備就緒,最後剩下的批准是PoO。
如果USFS在2023年9月15日之前完成了Sunnyside的PoO,則最初的兩年期權期將開始。公司計劃在收到批准的PoO後立即宣佈不可抗力,在兩年的期權期限內停止計時,直到美國法院能夠就PI請求作出裁決。
Barksdale資源公司是一家2023年OTCQX BEST 50公司,是一家總部位於不列顛哥倫比亞省溫哥華的賤金屬勘探公司,專注於收購、勘探和推進北美極具前景的賤金屬項目。Barksdale目前正在推進桑尼賽德銅鋅鉛銀和聖安東尼奧銅礦項目,這兩個項目都位於亞利桑那州南部的巴塔哥尼亞礦區,以及位於墨西哥索諾拉州中部的聖哈維爾銅金項目。
代表 BARKSDALE RESOURCES CORP.
裏克·特羅特曼
總裁、首席執行官兼董事
Rick@barksdaleresources.com
Terri Anne Welyki
傳播副總裁
778-238-2333
TerriAnne@barksdaleresources.com
欲瞭解更多信息,請致電 778-558-7145、發送電子郵件至 info@barksdaleresources.com 或訪問 。