Romarco receives Draft Preliminary Report Alternatives Development and Evalution

TRADING SYMBOL: TSX: R

TORONTO, Aug. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - ROMARCO MINERALS INC. (TSX: R) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that the US Army Corps of Engineers ("Corps") has published its Draft Preliminary Report Alternatives Development and Evaluation (the "Report") on its www.hailegoldmineeis.com website.  The alternatives evaluation is a key milestone in the Haile Gold Mine Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") process.

To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA"), the Corps' alternatives evaluation must include the Company's proposed project, the No Action Alternative, and a range of other reasonable alternatives to the proposed project. The range of reasonable alternatives considered in the Report includes: alternative sites, alternative project configurations, alternative technologies, and alternative project sizes.

The Report indicates that after a thorough review of a range of alternatives for the Haile Gold Mine project (the "Project") in preparation of the EIS, several reasonable alternatives have been eliminated and the Report indicates only three remaining alternatives will be moved forward and evaluated in the Draft EIS.  The Corps has scheduled its publication of the Draft EIS for March 2014.

The Project as proposed and the No Action alternative must be evaluated under NEPA in the Draft EIS.  The third alternative that is being considered for evaluation in the Draft EIS is the proposed Project with modifications.

This alternative is a variation of the proposed Project with two tailings borrow areas also being used as overburden storage areas, which would allow some of the planned overburden storage areas to be reduced in size, and other adjustments to the Project to avoid and minimize impacts.

The Company plans to work with the Corps as it completes the detailed evaluation of these alternatives in the Draft EIS.

The Corps reviewed and analyzed a number of various alternatives consistent with NEPA / EIS process and found them not to be reasonable or practicable alternatives.  The Report is available in its entirety at the Corps' Haile EIS website: www.hailegoldmineeis.com

Diane Garrett, President & CEO commented: "The alternatives evaluation is a very important step towards completing the Draft EIS.  After a very exhaustive examination, the Corps has narrowed the range of alternatives for the EIS.  We are pleased that the Corps will focus the remaining work in the EIS on these three alternatives."

A community meeting will be held in Kershaw, SC on August 20, 2013 where participants will have the opportunity to see a presentation of the proposed mine plan, the EIS schedule and other project milestones; discuss the alternatives evaluation for the project and the proposed mitigation plan; and, receive an update on groundwater modeling efforts. 

The Corps' permit (pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act) is the only Federal permit Romarco requires for the Haile project. The Company has filed applications for several of the required state regulated permits including its State Mine Operating permit, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, 401 Water Quality Certification, Air Quality permit, and Dam Safety permit for the proposed tailing storage facility.  The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control ("SCDHEC") is the regulatory agency responsible for reviewing and issuing state permits.

About Romarco Minerals Inc.

Romarco Minerals Inc. is a gold development company focused on production primarily in the US. The Company has completed a positive Feasibility study and is continuing permitting for its flagship project, the Haile Gold Mine in South Carolina.

SOURCE ROMARCO MINERALS INC.