MissionIR's  Instablog

PolyMet Mining, which has rapidly built a solid mineral position in Northeastern Minnesota's well established Mesabi Iron Range mining district, with 100% control of both the NorthMet copper-nickel-precious metals ore body (long-term lease) and the proximal Erie Plant (a large crushing/milling facility only six miles away from the ore), was pleased to announce continued progress on the NorthMet project's environmental review today.

The company has been working hand-in-hand with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to formulate a comprehensive draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will map out the project details, as well as potential ecological impact (this document will serve as the basis for permitting decisions by relevant agencies).

PolyMet has spent considerable time and effort developing the most comprehensive water, air, and wetland environmental impact models possible for both the operational interval and for afterwards. The models will also serve as a blueprint for bringing the project into tight alignment with all state and federal environmental standards, serving as a guide for the requisite engineering requirements needed to meet those standards.

This new EIS will feature several key enhancements over the previously published one from back in 2009, satisfying in detail the environmental concerns raised by the EPA and others. The rigorous analytical work being done by PLM to ensure the long-term success of the NorthMet project satisfies what is perhaps the single most important regulatory obstacle for the company here and no time or effort has been held back as the completion of this review, as well as the publication of a supplemental draft EIS, draws closer.

The current timeline moving forward looks pretty standard for this sort of operation, with agency review and quality assurance/control secured for the environmental models coming fist, then incorporation of the engineering requirements to ensure state/federal standards are met, next will be the supplemental EIS with agency comments from sources like the EPA meshed in (subsequent release to public), and finally the process culminates in preparation/release of the final EIS in anticipation of permitting.

PLM is on-track for permitting and that's the key take away here, with lead regulatory agencies updating the running schedule for the NorthMet EIS, and a Q1 2013 supplemental draft publication date being anticipated (agency review format available 2-3 months prior).

The NorthMet project would be a good deal for Northern Minnesota, creating some 360 stable, long-term jobs and infusing the local economy with considerable parallel activity, as the (projected 1.5M hours of construction labor time) build itself, in conjunction with resulting activity will infuse the region with capital/economic activity. Having already completed the definitive feasibility study on NorthMet, PLM is quite eager to get to work going after the resource and one can see a flurry of activity now at the company's HQ, located nearby the mine in Hoyt Lakes.

The schedule should be finalized sometime next month in early June and the company plans to make interim milestone achievement reports as the publication date approaches.

PolyMet has quite a developing project on their hands in MN and looks to continue branching out as well as the company strives to live up to their mission statement of pursuing copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium, and gold resources.

For more information on PolyMet Mining Corp. please visit the company's website at: www.PolyMetMining.com

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Yesterday, World Energy Solutions announced that it has won a three year contract for energy management with plastics company Spartech. The contract will cover a range of services that will assist Spartech in areas such as lowering the company's energy consumption and commodity costs.

World Energy Solutions is focused on energy management services for businesses, institutions, and governments, and has transacted more than $30 billion in energy, demand response, and environmental commodities on behalf of its customers. In turn, this has created over a billion in value for their clients. World Energy also supports the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative's (RGGI) cap and trade program for CO2 emissions.

The first three months of the engagement has seen World Energy obtain electricity and renewable energy for Spartech facilities in Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Texas. This is expected to deliver more than $1 million in savings over Spartech's previous contracts. World Energy will be procuring more electricity and natural gas resources for Spartech over the remainder of 2012, and will be rolling out bill payment services for the company.

Victoria Holt, president & CEO of Spartech, said, "World Energy's approach to energy management represents a big improvement for us, and the results are speaking for themselves. Not only has World Energy delivered a plan for seven-figure savings to our organization - and begun executing upon it in short order - but it has done so in some markets where we had been told limited opportunities existed. We are benefitting from World Energy's process and market expertise, their ability to create liquidity and transact in multiple geographies, and the transparent manner in which they operate."

Added Holt: "Spartech is committed to its Vision of becoming the leading supplier of sustainable plastic solutions by minimizing our impact upon the environment by reducing material consumption, adopting cleaner processes and pursuing more efficient use of energy. World Energy serves as a good partner in this important endeavor, helping us move closer to realizing this Vision."

Richard Domaleski, CEO of World Energy Solutions, said, "By keeping our focus on delivering value to our customers, we have established an unmatched track record that resonates from the C-suite of the Fortune 100 to the owners and operators of small and mid-sized businesses. There is so much more that companies can be getting from energy management, but they need to be working with the right provider, one who has their best interests in mind and the skill to get the most from the market on their behalf. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Spartech to meet their energy management and sustainability goals, while driving down their total cost of energy."

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GeoVax Labs, an Atlanta-based biopharmaceutical firm developing vaccines to prevent and fight Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections, announced that enrollment has opened for a Phase 1 trial for the company's second-generation HIV vaccine. The second-generation is identical to the first except for the addition of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to boost vaccine responses. GM-CSF is a naturally occurring human protein that encourages the initiation of immune responses. The second-generation vaccine co-expresses GM-CSF with HIV proteins in the DNA priming vaccinations. GM-CSF is not included in the MVA boost for the GeoVax DNA prime-MVA boost regimen.

The trial, designated HVTN 094, employs a dose-escalation technique to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the second-generation vaccine. The second-generation vaccine achieved a 90% per exposure reduction in infection in the non-human primate model. This represents a significant improvement over the first-generation. The difference in vaccine efficacy translates into 70% of vaccinated animals being protected against 12 repeated rectal challenges. GeoVax anticipates the second-generation vaccine to be moved through into Phase 2a/2b efficacy testing.

The HVTN 094 trial will include 40 vaccinated and 8 control/placebo subjects who will be examined at four sites across the U.S.: the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; the University of Rochester, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The initial inoculation was administered in Boston at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will fund the trial through the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.

Robert McNally, Ph.D, President and Chief Executive Officer of GeoVax, said, "We are extremely pleased the HVTN is conducting the trial with the adjuvanted vaccine. They have substantial experience with our unadjuvanted vaccine and possess appropriate expertise for this first human trial of our GM-CSF co-expressing vaccine that has shown such good promise in preclinical studies."

For more information, please visit www.geovax.com

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