Take Action on Coal | Information & Resources | Updates & News
Updated March 15, 2022
Latest Update: Government announces expanded coal restrictions, releases Coal Policy Committee reports
On March 4, 2022, the Government of Alberta announced restrictions on coal development in the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies. The restrictions on new development will be in place until directions on coal activities are incorporated into updated regional land-use plans.
The Goverment also released the final reports of the Coal Policy Committee. Concerns with the environmental impacts of coal mining ranked among the most important issues to Albertans.
- News Release Getting it right on coal in Alberta (Government of Alberta)
- Reports Final report : recommendations for the management of coal resources in Alberta (Coal Policy Committee)
- Reports Engaging Albertans about coal (Coal Policy Committee)
Environmental groups welcomed the restrictions on new development, but concerns remained over the impacts of existing coal mining activities and the 4 advanced projects that were allowed to continue the regulatory process.
- Coal Exploration and Mining on the Eastern Slopes – Is there an end in sight? (Alberta Wilderness Association)
- Government of Alberta’s new plan provides temporary relief from the risk of coal (CPAWS Northern & Southern Alberta)
- What has (and hasn’t) changed for coal mining in Alberta (The Narwhal)
- Alberta keeps decades-old coal policy in place, 4 advanced projects to continue regulatory process (CBC News)
- Alberta to extend pause on Rocky Mountain coal mines (Global News/The Canadian Press)
Overview
Concerns about the impacts of open-pit coal mining in Alberta are not new. In 2020 and 2021, a culmination of decisions and regulatory changes has renewed the attention to coal development in the province.
News coverage and public attention has been focused two separate matters:
- Rescindment of the 1976 Coal Policy: This policy was introduced to regulate open-pit coal mining in the Rocky Mountains and foothills. It was rescinded in May 2020, allowing coal extraction in some regions that were previously protected. In February 2021, the government announced it was reinstating the policy.
- Upcoming Decision on the Grassy Mountain Coal Project: The application for permits of this coal mine in the Crowsnest Pass was submitted in 2017, but a final decision is expected in 2021. This project was permitted under the 1976 Coal Policy.
The Grassy Mountain coal project is the first of several mountain-top removal coal mines proposed for the southern Rockies. These open-pit mines will extract metallurgical coal, which is exported to produce steel.
The impacts of coal extraction are concentrated in southwestern Alberta but extends throughout the province and beyond. Open-pit mines are radical transformations of the landscape and rely on water from essential headwaters. Decisions for new mines must uphold Treaty rights and undertake consultation with Indigenous communities nearby and downstream. Regulatory approval involves both the provincial and federal governments.
Coal extraction isn’t just a part of Alberta’s history. The decisions are complex, but they will have a lasting influence for the next generation.
Take Action on Coal
Check out groups from across the province and find out how you can help protect the landscape from the threat of open-pit coal mining.
- Protect Our Water - Alberta Beyond Coal
- Niitsitapi Land & Water Defenders
- Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Southern Alberta Chapter
- Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Northern Alberta Chapter
- Albertans for Coal Free Rockies
- Livingstone Landowners Group
- Protect Alberta Water and Rocky Mountains
- Council of Canadians
Information & Resources
Alberta Energy Regulator
- Overview of coal mining
- Manual 020: Coal Development (Overview of regulatory approval process)
Legal Information
University of Calgary law professor Nigel Bankes has begun a series of posts analyzing the 1976 Coal Policy and other legal issues pertaining to the development of coal resources in Alberta.
- What Are the Implications of Reinstating the 1976 Coal Development Policy? (ABlawg.ca)
- Coal Law and Policy in Alberta, Part One: the Coal Policy and Its Legal Status (ABlawg.ca)
- Coal Law and Policy in Alberta, Part 2: The Rules for Acquiring Coal Rights and the Royalty Regime (ABlawg.ca)
- Coal Law and Policy in Alberta, Part Three: Was the Public Rationale for Rescinding the Coal Policy Ever Convincing? (ABlawg.ca)
Updates & News
Coal Policy Committee Engagement
September 7, 2021
As Alberta's Coal Policy Committee begins to wrap up its public engagement activities, be sure to provide your feedback now to ensure that the Committee has the time to consider it in their final report due November 15, 2021.
News updates
Submissions from AEN members
- Coal Policy Engagement: Submissions to the Coal Policy Committee | Environmental Law Centre
- AWA Appears Before Alberta Coal Policy Committee | Alberta Wilderness Association
- It’s time for a new vision for Alberta’s Eastern Slopes | CPAWS Southern & Northern Alberta Chpaters | Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative
Tent Mountain coal project designated for federal assessment
July 13, 2021
On June 29, the Tent Mountain open-pit coal mining project proposed by Australian-based Montem Resources in the Rockies was designated for a federal impact assessment by Jonathan Wilkinson, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change due to potential negative impacts on cross-provincial environments, fish, aquatic habitat, water quality and Indigenous rights. There are 7 open-pit coal mines still in play in the Alberta Rockies & headwaters. Find more details, including scale, about each of these projects at Alberta Beyond Coal.
- Another Alberta coal project added to federal environmental assessment list (Global/Canadian Press)
- Tent Mountain open-pit coal mine designated for federal impact assessment (CBC News)
Provincial Coal Consultation - a critical opportunity for public input
March 30, 2021
On June 1, 2020, the Alberta government quietly and without public consultation rescinded the long-standing 1976 Coal Policy that placed restrictions on coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies Mountains. Tens of thousands of Albertans, First Nations, landowners, farmers, tourism companies and conservationists as well as 28 municipalities voiced strong concern about the government selling leases for coal mining projects in this area that is the water source for millions of people across the prairies. In response, the Government of Alberta reinstated the coal policy, but not before approving 6 coal mining projects to proceed to exploration activity. These projects continue to develop through the exploration process, including building roads, drilling holes and stripping timber in fragile areas, despite the reinstatement of the coal policy on February 8, 2021.
The Alberta Ministry of Energy has invited Albertans to provide input to a newly formed Coal Policy Committee, an independent group, that will "lead a comprehensive engagement" to "develop a modern coal policy to protect the areas Albertans cherish while allowing responsible resource development in appropriate places". Albertans are invited to provide feedback until April 19 through an online survey, to guide the independent committee.
Several of AEN's member groups have provided their thoughts and suggestions on the consultation and the survey.
- 8 questions about Alberta's coal policy consultation (Council of Canadians)
- Please Complete the Alberta Government’s Coal Consultation Survey (Alberta Wilderness Association)
- New government coal consultation misses the mark, failing to engage with Albertans on the issues they care most about (CPAWS Northern Alberta & CPAWS Southern Alberta)
Reinstatement of the 1976 Coal Development Policy
February 12, 2021
On February 8, 2021, Alberta Energy Minister announced that the government was reinstating the 1976 Coal Development Policy.
- Doubts raised over protections from reinstated 1976 Alberta coal policy (Canadian Press/Global)
- Restoring coal policy in Alberta ‘a step forward’ but major project still a go (APTN News)
- Critics Skeptical as Alberta Reverses Course on Open-pit Coal Mines (The Tyee)
While the reinstatement was welcomed, questions remain about the practical implications of the reinstatement. Environmental groups and other advocates have called for increased landscape protections from coal mining.
- CPAWS Celebrates Reinstatement of Alberta Coal Policy, but More Protections Urgently Needed for Eastern Slopes of the Rockies (CPAWS Northern Alberta & CPAWS Southern Alberta)
- Promise & Ambiguity: Reinstating the 1976 Coal Policy (Alberta Wilderness Association)
- OPINION | Reinstating the Alberta coal policy does not mean the end of coal mining (CBC News)
- 9 things that haven’t changed since Alberta’s about-face on coal mining policy (The Narwhal)
First Nations and Landowners Request Review of Coal Policy Rescindment
January 11, 2021
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.
- 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)
Take Action
- Petition to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (closes for signatures at 12:00 pm 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)
First Public Offering of New Coal Leases
December 16, 2020
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.
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.
- 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)
- 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 Allocation in Southern Alberta
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.
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’s ‘back door’ plan to free up billions of litres of water for coal mines raises alarm (The Narwhal)
Rescinding the Coal Policy
August 1, 2020
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)
- Alberta’s Rockies and foothills under threat of mining (Y2Y)