EDMONTON — The Alberta government has announced plans to ban new mountaintop removal and open-pit coal developments on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, but the new rules wouldn’t apply to advanced projects like a contentious mine proposed for the Crowsnest Pass.
Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean announced Friday the new policies expected in late 2025, along with a round of consultations with industry players on how to implement them.
Jean said under the “long overdue” rule revamp, all coal mining projects would be held to the highest environmental standards.
“Our job will be to develop a policy that will attract investment and create jobs while respecting and protecting the air, land, water and wildlife,” he said.
Jean said royalty revenues are also to be “substantially increased,” with rates to be revised after the consultations.
“They’re too low. We’re going to bring them up,” he said of the province’s current rates.
Government officials said Friday that mountaintop removal coal mining has not occurred in Alberta.
The new bans wouldn’t apply to what are considered advanced proposals, including the proposed Grassy Mountain open-pit mine in the Crowsnest Pass, which has been fought by environmental groups and communities downstream.
Alberta Energy Regulator hearings into that project are to continue in January.
Jean said the Grassy Mountain project, which aims to reclaim a site that was mined over 60 years ago but was never properly restored, would be monitored closely if approved.
He said the province needs to find innovative ways to clean up those contaminated sites.
“I hope (Albertans) look at us and say, ‘Wow, that’s smart. What a smart government,'” he said.
Concerns over coal mining blew up in spring 2020, when the province announced it would remove rules that had protected the eastern slopes of the Rockies from open-pit coal mining since 1976.
Public reaction was swift and angry, and the United Conservative Party government reinstated the protections and stopped selling exploration leases.
Friday’s announcement also comes three years after the government received a report and recommendations on the issue, including public feedback ranging from environmental concerns to dissatisfaction with the regulatory process.
Jean said the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s provincial election and fights with the federal government over resource jurisdiction led to the delay of the new initiative.
Katie Morrison, executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society southern Alberta chapter, said the announcement provides little relief, and appears to open the door for more coal mines.