Tamerlane Ventures Inc. cleared a major regulatory hurdle for its plans to explore for zinc and lead near Hay River, N.W.T., with the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board's approval of its plans.

The board's assessment, released Friday, says the Washington-based company's test mine will not cause significant, lasting damage to the environment.

The board's recommendations have been sent to Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl for final approval.

Tamerlane, which is headed by former Giant Mine principals Margaret Kent and Ross Burns, wants to sink a mine shaft on the old Pine Point mine site, located 48 kilometres east of Hay River on the edge of Great Slave Lake.

The company wants to extract and process a one-million-tonne bulk sample of lead and zinc from the site over the next four years.

Burns, Tamerlane's president and CEO, called the board's decision "a major milestone for Tamerlane's permit approval process" in a news release Monday.

Burns stated that the company "now anticipates an expeditious approval of all operating permits.

"The company has worked closely with local communities, regulatory officials and other stakeholders for over two years to prove the sustainability and benefits of the Pine Point project from both environmental and socioeconomic perspectives," he added.

The review board, which examines the environmental impacts of proposed development projects in the N.W.T.'s Mackenzie Valley, recommends that Tamerlane's project go ahead as long as the company follows through with 140 commitments it has made to ensure the environmental impact of the project won't be significant.

The most substantial of the commitments is creating a barrier around the mine to prevent water from flowing into it.