Cliffs denies pulling out of Ring of Fire

Cliffs Natural Resources is denying a Thunder Bay online media report that it is permanently abandoning its Ring of Fire properties.

“Not true,” said company spokeswoman Pat Persico in an email. “There’s been some confusion around the camp site.”

The report cited unnamed sources that the Ohio mining giant was walking away from its chromite properties and offering the company’s camps and various assets up for sale.

Late last year, Cliffs decided to call an indefinite halt to all technical work on its chromite properties in the James Bay region. A mine feasibility study, all development and exploration activities were also put on hold.

“Cliffs is responsibly and properly shutting down its exploration camp,” said Persico. “We are properly securing our assets and protecting the environment.

“With the goal to establish a new camp at the start of this project, the camp was designated to be temporary with a goal to move it to a permanent location at some point, as it is located on Noront’s claim area.  Over the past few years, we have shared resources with Noront (Resources). If we start-up the chromite project in the future, we will assemble a camp on our property.”

Even though the project is on ice, Persico said Cliffs continues to have dialogue with area First Nations and the Ontario government. The company is also throwing its support behind the provincial government’s as-of-yet undefined Ring of Fire development corporation which was created to finance and develop the infrastructure for the area.