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ALBERTA MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL OPEN PIT COAL MINING POLICY

UPDATE: June 30, 2021

Coal Policy Committee Meeting with Beef Industry

On June 30th, 2021, Alberta Beef Producers, Western Stock Growers' Association, Alberta Grazing Leaseholders Association, and Canadian Cattlemen's Association met with the Coal Policy Committee to discuss the beef industry. The Committee was formed to work with stakeholder groups to provide recommendations for the development of a new coal policy. Our objectives were to emphasize the size and importance of Alberta's beef industry and highlight some areas for consideration when developing a modernized coal policy.

Jointly, we outlined the history, structure, and contributions of the beef industry, with specific emphasis on the important role beef producers have in stewarding land and water resources. Considerations presented to the Committee to inform their recommendations included:

  • the beef industry's reliance on water quality and quantity,
  • the value of sound reclamation practices,
  • the importance of conserving native rangeland and the vital role it plays in biodiversity and species at risk habitat,
  • the significance of air quality,
  • the need for complementarity with regional land use plans, and,
  • the requirement for reliable access to land and forage.

All organizations underscored that consultation and an ongoing working relationship with local ranchers is required, and that potential impacts to beef production may encompass more producers than those who are directly adjacent to a proposed development.


Coal Policy Committee Presentation

UPDATE: February 23, 2021

GoA announced the reinstatement of the 1976 Coal Policy including reinforcing restrictions through AEP. Click here for the news release Alberta Energy will be starting engagement with Albertans about the development of a long-term approach to coal developments March 29. Click here for the news release. The release links to the option to sign up for regular updates on this issue.

Energy Minister Savage stated in a press conference in early February that mountain top and open pit coal mining "will not happen along the Eastern Slopes." While this announcement eases concern for the downstream inhabitants and agriculture, it also raises many questions. The devil could very well be in the details yet to be seen.

To date, nearly all of the government consultation we have been exposed to and partaken in has been engineered and manipulated to yield the government's preferred conclusions. We hope a more robust, objective and independent consultation process is adopted not only for this consultation but others in the future.

On May 15, 2020 the Alberta government announced the outdated provincial coal policy would be rescinded. To read that news release, click here. This seemed to ignite some action in terms of purchase of leases and increased exploration in the eastern slopes of Alberta. Several new coal projects are in various stages of review. Farthest ahead in development is the Grassy Mountain proposed open-pit coal mine located just north and east of the Crowsnest Pass, which has actually been in the works for many years.

Actions the government takes to improve Alberta's current economic outlook should be good news to Albertans but the development of industry absolutely must be done responsibly and under no circumstances can it be done at the expense of other industries and economic activity already established in the province. As we gather more information on this issue, the tradeoffs become alarming. Yes, we would have a new industry in Alberta but the cost to Albertans could be higher than we are willing to pay.

Please use the links below to explore more on this issue.

WSGA MEMBERSHIP BULLETIN:

Will the development of the Grassy Mountain Coal Project adversely affect one of the top agricultural food production areas on the continent?

January 13, 2021

Potential headwater and downstream impacts are casting concern on Alberta's new coal developments. If selenium is not removed from mining waste, the potential impact to food supply, economics and human health could be devastating. Removing selenium from the mine site is the only way to ensure that selenium does not go into the watershed. The other option is to not allow the Grassy Mountain mine to go ahead. Read more. References.

OTHER REFERENCES

Water for Coal Developments: Where Will It Come From?

"There are important questions that need to be answered before the Minister takes any further steps towards amending the Oldman Water Allocation Order. These questions address both economic and environmental values. On the economic side, the Minister needs to address how the proposed amendment will affect the evolution of the water market in southern Alberta as well the perceptions of unfairness associated with a two-track system for acquiring water rights. On the environmental side of things, the Minister needs to demonstrate how the proposed amendment restores and protects environmental flows in the Oldman Basin, especially flows in the mainstem and headwater tributaries above the Oldman Dam. The Minister will also owe a duty to consult First Nations (especially the Piikani) who may be affected by this decision."

Read more: U of C Faculty of Law blog regarding the water allocation from the Old Man Allocation Order for coal developments.

Environmental hazard assessment of Benga Mining's proposed Grassy Mountain Coal Project

ABSTRACT

The Grassy Mountain Coal Project is a planned mountaintop open-pit development by Benga Mining Limited that would destroy 2,800 ha of scenic Rocky Mountain landscape in southwest Alberta, Canada. A scientific analysis of environmental hazards of the project reveals numerous flaws in both the projected environmental performance of the mine and its regulatory control. From both environmental and economic perspectives, the proposed mine will do far more damage than can be reasonably justified on any level. In this report, I present science-backed facts that show 6 specific, and grave, points of environmental hazard. If approved and made operational, the Grassy Mountain Coal Project will create a serious environmental threat from selenium pollution of high quality, high value aquatic habitats and culminate in poisoning of provincially and federally protected fish, coupled with substantial negative economic impacts. Prudent, timely, and decisive action by the Alberta Energy Regulator can eliminate the selenium risk and protect the environment.

Read more: Article from the Journal of Environmental Science and Policy regarding the dangers of selenium contamination of water sources around open pit coal developments.

GoA RESOURCES:

IN THE MEDIA: