First Nations and landowners request review of coal policy rescindment
Court challenges are expected to begin next week over the Alberta government’s decision to rescind the coal policy, which restricted exploration and development of open-pit coal mines in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Separate requests for judicial review have been filed by Ermineskin and Whitefish Lake First Nations, Siksika and Kainai First Nations and ranchers with the Livingstone Landowners Group, noting concerns for headwaters protections and a lack of consultation.
Meanwhile, coal exploration plans were discovered to surround five popular recreation areas in southwestern Alberta, and one exploration lease extends into an existing recreation area.
Latest News
- Alberta decision to open Rockies to coal mining to face court challenges in new year (Canadian Press)
- Alberta ranchers resist plans to ease coal mining rules (Western Producer)
- Coal exploration around Alberta parks raises questions about future recreation (Canadian Press)
- ICYMI: Panel discussion on coal in southwest Alberta (Albertans for a Coal Free Southwest)
Learn More and Take Action
- Petition to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (closes for signatures at 12:00 NOON on January 15, 2021)
- Albertans for a Coal Free Southwest (CPAWS Southern Alberta & Livingstone Landowners Group)
- Coal Mining Threat to the South Eastern Slopes of the Rockies (Livingstone Landowners Group)
- Fight for Coal Mine Free Rockies (CPAWS Southern Alberta)
- Open-pit Coal Mining in Southwest Alberta Defies Logic (Pekisko Group)
Previous Updates
December 16, 2020
Following the recission of Alberta's 1976 Coal Policy in the spring, the Alberta Government has taken additional steps to open up the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies in southern Alberta to metallurgical coal mining. The government has proposed changes to the water allocation order in the Oldman River watershed to make additional water available for industrial uses.
The government also made its first public offering of new coal leases in regions previously protected by the former Coal Policy. This offering was announced on the heels of the final day of the public hearing into the proposed Grassy Mountain Coal Project, the first of several mountain-top removal coal mines proposed for the southern Rockies.
- As oil prices languish, Alberta sees its future in a 'coal rush' (The Guardian)
- Threatened by Coal, Ranchers Take the Kenney Government to Court (The Tyee)
- The Australian Invasion: Big Coal’s Plans for Alberta (The Tyee)
Changes to water access for coal development
Proposed changes to the water allocation order in the Oldman River watershed may make up to 13,568,000 cubic metres of water available for industrial uses, including for coal developments in the eastern slopes. The proposed changes were presented by Alberta Environment and Parks in an information briefing on November 20, 2020.
This proposed change will group all water-use activities – including irrigation, drinking water supplies and industrial uses – into one category. In a watershed with already limited supply, this change is expected to impact the existing water market in southern Alberta and flow in rivers and headwaters.
- Water for Coal Developments: Where Will It Come From? (ABlawg: The University of Calgary Faculty of Law Blog)
- Alberta government wants to rewrite the water use rules along eastern slopes of Rockies (CBC)
Alberta offers new coal leases in southern Alberta Rockies
On December 3, 2020, Alberta Energy made the first public offering of coal leases in the southern Alberta Rockies since the recission of the 1976 Coal Policy in May.
- Continuing the Sacrifice of the Eastern Slopes to Old King Coal (Alberta Wilderness Association)
- Alberta offers Rocky Mountain coal leases after rescinding protection policy (Canadian Press/Global News)
August 1, 2020
Rescinding the Coal Policy
The Alberta government rescinded the 1976 Coal Policy on June 1, 2020 saying the policy was no longer relevant due to regulatory changes and new approaches in land use planning since the 1970s. However, gaps in land use plans (particularly in the eastern slopes region) may leave sensitive regions open to coal development.
- Bringing coal back (CBC News)
- Letter to Premier Kenny: Reinstate Alberta’s Coal Policy (Alberta Wilderness Association)
- The Farce of New Coal Mines (Sarah Shibley & Drew Yewchuk, Public Interest Law Clinic, University of Calgary)
- Coal Mining Threat to the South Eastern Slopes of the Rockies (Livingstone Landowners Group)
- Alberta Coal Policy scrapped, making open-pit coal mining more accessible than ever along the eastern slopes of the Rockies (CPAWS Northern Alberta)
- Rescinding the Alberta Coal Policy opens headwaters in the eastern slopes of the Rockies to open-pit coal mining (CPAWS Southern Alberta)
- Alberta’s renewed bet on coal: what Kenney’s policy shift means for mining, parks and at-risk species (The Narwhal)