Alberta reinstates 1976 coal policy after public outcry northernminer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from northernminer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Bob Weber
In this March 28, 2017, file photo, a dump truck hauls coal at Contura Energy s Eagle Butte Mine near Gillette, Wyo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Mead Gruver, File February 10, 2021 - 1:41 PM
A coal-mining company with exploration leases in Alberta s Rocky Mountains is trying to figure out how the government s decision to restore protection of the land will affect its plans. I m not sure specifically or exactly what it means for our business, said Brad Johnston, chief development officer for Cabin Ridge, a Calgary-based, privately held company that holds exploration permits granted last fall on coal leases north of Coleman, Alta.
The highly unpopular premier also characterized opponents of coal mining as urban snobs even though the majority of the opposition has come from his party’s angry base: ranchers, farmers, landowners and rural towns and municipalities.
The government’s abrupt change of course follows weeks of protests from hundreds of thousands of Albertans from all walks of life and all political parties.
They raised concerns about water security, selenium pollution (a legacy of open-pit coal mines), and the future of the province’s iconic eastern slopes.
Landowner and conservation groups greeted today’s announcement with skepticism.
“I’d call my response very guarded,” said Renie Blades, a third-generation rancher in Alberta’s foothills.
The Canadian province of Alberta on Monday reversed a decision that expanded access to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains for open-pit coal mines, but the government allowed exploration for six coal projects to continue in the area.