I don't know what he said because I can't stand to listen to the guy.  But if he did say that in a matter-of-fact manner then, with that time frame of within 9 months, he is essentially saying that they will trigger the ROFO, like imminently (I didn't use the 's' word, lol) 

IIRC, Teck has 2 or 3 months to consider the ROFO, but if its a rejection I could see it happening right away.  If Teck doesn't bite then CF has 6 months to find a taker for the ROFO price.   So ES would know that it will likely take 6-9 months from start to finish.

I say:  Go for it!  Swing for the fences with your dream number.  If you get no takers, no problem, its all part of the price discovery process.    Weather the recession and come back out on the other side with a second ROFO with a revised price based on the new copper/gold/moly price reality of the new cycle.