The Alberta government said it’s “bringing coal policy into the 21st century” with plans to introduce modern rules for coal mining by late 2025.
However, some critics worry it’s just the early 20th-century thinking wrapped in a pink Christmas bow.
On Dec. 20, as most Albertans prepared to check out for the Christmas holidays, Energy Minister Brian Jean announced the Alberta Coal Industry Modernization Initiative.
A Twisted Tale
It’s the latest twist in a coal policy debacle that began in 2020 when Jason Kenney’s government trashed a 1976 policy limiting coal development on the Eastern Slopes.
Public outrage was swift. It was so swift that less than a year later, the government reinstated the decades-old policy and launched the Alberta Coal Policy Committee.
The committee, tasked with gathering public opinion and expert advice to shape a modern coal policy, submitted its final report in December 2021.
According to Brain Jean, the Minister of Energy and Minerals, the report will guide the modernization initiative.
“Starting in early 2025, we will engage directly with the coal industry, letting them know what will and will not be allowed for new coal mines moving forward in Alberta. We are going to let them know we are not handing over the keys for unlimited coal development in our precious natural spaces,” he wrote in a post to the Alberta government website. “In return, we want them to tell us what works in other jurisdictions that focus on environmental protections as an important part of responsible coal development.”
Some Good News
There is some reason for cautious optimism among most Albertans who care about water quality and conservation in Alberta’s crucial Eastern Slopes region. The government promises a ban on mountaintop removal and open-pit mining and a requirement to use “best water practices and prevent adding selenium into waterways.”
Coal mining often releases selenium, a mineral that, above specific concentrations, is toxic to fish and other organisms living in freshwater. Controlling this pollution has proven difficult -and expensive. According to one estimate, five steel-making coal mines in BC’s Elk Valley have created a toxic selenium mess in Canadian and US waters that will cost more than $6 billion to clean up.
Reason For Concern
There’s also reason for concern about some of the fine print in the province’s pre-holiday coal announcement.
The yet to be completed 21st century coal policy won’t impact so-called advanced coal projects, like the controversial Grassy Mountain proposal near Crowsnest Pass being pushed by Australian mining giant Hancock Prospecting and Vancouver-based Valory Resources Inc.’s Mine 14 proposal for an underground coal mine near Grande Cache.
“Minister Jean has once again doubled down on the Grassy Mountain open-pit coal mine, defining it as an exempt project, despite the inexistence of a project description or application after the Project was rejected by regulators in 2021,” said Katie Morrison, Executive Director for Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS,) Southern Alberta, in a press release. “The company has applied for a new coal exploration permit, and according to Jean, it will be exempt from the new policy, bringing into question the sincerity of the commitment to “no new open-pit mining proposals.”
According to CPAWS the mine permit and license for the still under review Mine 14 project “are both over 10 years old and based on an even older environmental assessment…”
Who Is In The Driver’s Seat?
There are also questions about who will be in the driver’s seat – mining corps or Albertans. The provincial government has clarified that the time for public consultation is over and will be consulting the coal mining industry as it shapes policy over the next year.
A government information sheet describing the Alberta Coal Industry Modernization Initiative states, “Government will be working with the AER [Alberta Energy Regulator] to conduct targeted engagement with coal industry stakeholders to start the modernization initiative. These sessions will allow industry to share best practices that are in use in other jurisdictions and allow us to give industry a heads-up on coming policy changes.”
Policy Loopholes
Morrison promises that Albertans will be on the watch for slippery “loophole language.”
“Albertans did not let the previous government get away with changes to the coal policy that threatened our invaluable Rocky Mountain headwaters, and we won’t let this one either. I hope they are ready for Albertans to rise up again,” Morrison said.
Meanwhile, renewables face far more restrictions than either coal or oil and gas. Whether the Alberta government is “bringing coal policy into the 21st century” remains to be seen. It hasn’t happened for oil and gas. So critics rightfully remain skeptical.
