VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 29,
2022 /CNW/ - Southern Empire Resources Corp.
(Southern Empire) (TSXV: SMP) (Frankfurt: 5RE) (OTCQB: SMPEF) announces that,
for its Oro Cruz Project located in Imperial County, California, the United States
Army's Corps of Engineers ("USACE") issued an Approved
Jurisdictional Determination ("AJD") on November 28, 2022.
The USACE determination process was conducted to identify the
extent of USACE authority over the Oro Cruz Project site, i.e.
whether the project area covers "Waters of the United States". In the AJD, the USACE
agreed that the Oro Cruz Project area does not cover any waters of
the United States, nor are there
any existing aquatic resources that would, subject to Section 404
of the Clean Water Act, result in the Oro Cruz Project being
a regulated activity. This AJD is valid for five years.
Southern Empire also announces that its Oro Cruz Project
"Initial Study", was presented at an Imperial County Environmental
Evaluation Committee ("EEC") public hearing on November 17, 2022, and proposed project
exploration work was approved under a Mitigated Negative
Declaration ("MND") pursuant to California's Surface Mining and Reclamation
Act ("SMARA") and the California Environmental Quality
Act ("CEQA"). An MND is assigned to a project when an Initial
Study identifies potentially significant effects on the
environment, but where proposed mitigation measures will reduce
impacts on the environment to be less than significant. The EEC
hearing was part of a collaborative permitting process between the
United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land
Management ("BLM") and Imperial
County as a representative for the State of California.
A BLM news release on November 16,
2022, officially notified the public that the BLM is seeking
input and commentary concerning Southern Empire's proposed surface
exploration plans as set forth in an Exploration Plan of Operations
(the "Plan") that proposes specific surface mineral
exploration activities, disturbing only up to 8.3 hectares (20.5
acres) within an approximately 253-hectare (approximately 626
acres) portion of the Oro Cruz property. All proposed exploration
activities are to be conducted so as to avoid unnecessary and undue
degradation of public lands and resources.
Interested stakeholders are invited to review the draft Oro Cruz
Exploration Project Environmental Assessment ("EA") related to the
Plan and to submit substantive commentary electronically, via the
BLM National NEPA Register at:
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017983/570, during
a 30-day public comment period that runs from November 16 through December 16, 2022. Also, as
part of the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA")
permitting process, the BLM's El Centro Field Office is conducting
a virtual informational meeting to discuss the Oro Cruz Project on
November 30th at
4:00 pm PST. Stakeholders may
register for this at:
https://stantec.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oL7ApimWRSqNfm9yw8e-mQ.
Qualified Person (QP)
The scientific and technical information contained in this news
release has been prepared, reviewed and approved by David Tupper, P.Geo. (British Columbia), Southern Empire's VP
Exploration and a Qualified Person within the context of Canadian
Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101; Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101).
About Southern Empire Resources Corp.
Southern Empire is focused on the acquisition, exploration and
development of metals and minerals deposits in North America.
In northeastern Durango State, México, Southern Empire
has an option to acquire a 100-per-cent beneficial interest in the
1,750-hectare Pedro Gold Project. At Pedro, in the spring of 2022,
Southern Empire drilled gold mineralization approximately 800
metres from 2014 drilling by a subsidiary of Newmont Mining
Corporation. Gold mineralization, associated with
highly anomalous arsenic (orpiment and realgar common),
antimony, mercury and thallium, has been identified hosted in
permeable basal conglomerates deposited during
Oligocene extensional deformation, the latter forming
widespread Basin and Range physiography along the easter part of
Sierra Madre Occidental. Gold is present in 12 of the 17 holes
drilled at Pedro to date. Please see Southern Empire's news
releases posted on SEDAR for further details.
In the Cargo Muchacho mountains of Imperial County, California, Southern Empire
owns 100 percent of the historical gold-producing American Girl
mine property and holds options to acquire a 100 percent interest
in the adjacent 2,160-hectare (5,338-acre) Oro Cruz Property
located approximately 22.5 kilometres (14 miles) southeast of the
operating Mesquite gold mine of Equinox Gold Corp.
At Oro Cruz, extensive historical drilling and large-scale
open-pit and underground mining of the American Girl, Padre y
Madre, Queen, and Cross oxide gold deposits by the American Girl
Mining Joint Venture ("AGMJV") occurred between 1987 and 1996.
During that time, gold was recovered by either heap leaching of
lower-grade, or milling of higher-grade ores until AGMJV operations
ceased in late 1996 because of declining gold prices leaving the
Oro Cruz Property with many gold exploration targets in addition to
a historical inferred resource estimate, reported In 2011 by
Lincoln Mining Corp., totaling 341,800 ounces gold based on
4,386,000 tonnes averaging 2.2 grams gold per tonne (g Au /t) at a
cut-off grade of 0.68 g Au/t (4,835,000 tons at 0.07 ounce gold per
ton; please refer to the Cautionary Notice Regarding the Oro Cruz
Property Historical Resource Estimate below).
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Southern Empire
Resources Corp.,
Dale
Wallster, CEO and Director
Cautionary Notice on Forward-Looking Information
Information provided in this news release may contain
forward-looking information or forward-looking statements that are
based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. Such
information or statements reflect management's current estimates,
beliefs, intentions, and expectations and are not guarantees of
future performance. Southern Empire cautions that all
forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual
performance may be affected by many material factors, many of which
are beyond its respective control. Such factors include, among
other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Southern Empire's
limited operating history, the need to comply with environmental
and governmental regulations, results of exploration programs on
its projects, and those risks and uncertainties identified in its
annual and interim financial statements and management discussion
and analysis. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions,
and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs,
intentions, and expectations expressed or implied in the
forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable
securities legislation, Southern Empire undertakes no obligation to
publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
Cautionary Notice Regarding Oro Cruz Project Historical
Resource Estimate
The Oro Cruz Project historical resource estimate is disclosed
in a technical report dated April 29,
2011, prepared for Lincoln Mining Corp. by Tetra Tech, Inc.
and filed on Canadian Securities Administrators' System for
Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR"). It is termed
an inferred mineral resource, which is a category set out in NI
43-101. It was based on historical reverse circulation and core
drill hole sample, underground channel sample, and blasthole sample
assay results and calculated using ordinary kriging to estimate
gold grades in 10-foot-by-10-foot-by-five-foot blocks. Accordingly,
Southern Empire considers this historical estimate reliable as well
as relevant as it represents key targets for future exploration
work. However, a QP has not done sufficient work to verify or
classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource and
Southern Empire is not treating this historical estimate as current
mineral resources.
Cautionary Notice Regarding Exploration Work
Programs
The timing and the ability to conduct Southern Empire's
exploration programs are, among other things, contingent on:
governmental regulations allowing for the issuance of permits;
affects of the COVID-19 pandemic; and the availability of
exploration personnel, drill contractors, equipment, lodging, etc.
Southern Empire will adhere to COVID-19 directives regarding safe
working practices putting worker and community health and safety
first and will proceed with exploration and development work
programs only if potential COVID-19 risks can be effectively
managed.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of
this release.
SOURCE Southern Empire Resources Corp.
