The application included a request to rezone a 374-acre parcel of Wolfden's 7135-acre Pickett Mountain project in Northern Maine.
Wolfden's rezoning request would open the land parcel for the construction, operation and reclamation of a "state-of-the-art, small footprint" underground metallic mineral mine.
As part of its due diligence, the Maine LUPC solicited third-party reviews from other state agencies and independent consultants, which are now complete.
Additionally, the LUPC has received and logged two intervenor applications; according to Wolfden, one supports the rezoning, while the other is an opponent.
"We are very pleased with the continued and steady progress of the rezoning process and the current timeline that could see a final decision by year-end," said Jeremy Ouellette, vice president of project development at Wolfden. "We will respond to the recent third-party questions and comments within the LUPC's defined timeframe."
Ahead of a public hearing and the final decision, the LUPC will hold a pre-hearing conference with Wolfden and the intervenors during the last week in July.
The proposed polymetallic project is described as a 1200 tonne per day underground mining operation with a 10-15 year mine life.
"The mined ore from the project will be processed at a different location and therefore is outside of the scope of the LUPC rezoning application," the statement read. "Moreover, the technical analysis for each component of the project and each aspect for the protection of natural resources demonstrates that the project is feasible and consistent with the values prioritised by the LUPC."
If approved, Wolfden will conduct a feasibility study which will also collect additional environmental baseline data. From there, a drill program will be completed to move the resource from the inferred to the indicated category.
