Mining the ‘modern’ Coal Policy
By Lethbridge Herald on December 27, 2024.
LORNE FITCH
I interrupted my Christmas shopping to listen with rapt attention to Energy minister Brian Jean and Environment and Protected Areas minister Rebecca Shultz explain the new, modern coal policy for the Eastern Slopes of Alberta.
According to them, coal is good, except where it is bad. Where it is bad no one will be allowed to blow the tops off mountains. Except it seems, where coal lobbyists have cunningly explained they can glue the pieces back together and not pollute the water. If you’re wondering how this modern coal policy differs from the 1976 Lougheed era one, so am I.
It became clear we still don’t have a modern coal policy. This announcement was to highlight the Alberta government is working on one and hope to have it out in a year, maybe after the coal industry has a chance to influence it. This issue has languished unresolved for several years, so it’s like not having your homework done and telling your teacher the dog ate the only copy.
An incredibly plastic word—balance—was used repeatedly, probably for the coal industry’s benefit. “We heard you,” the ministers said. “Protecting water is our top priority” and “neither air, land, water or wildlife will be sacrificed.” This policy is “environmentally focused” and we “rely on science.” Except where they won’t I guess.
Despite the lack of detail and fuzziness of the good coal/bad coal reveal, minister Jean seems to have had his mind made up for him over the proposed Grassy Mountain mine in the Crowsnest Pass.
It took some twisted, stand-on-your-head logic to explain the bad coal of Grassy Mountain would benefit from mountaintop mining to fix up the previously mined footprint. Maybe he read this from the promotional literature provided by Northback. The minister must suffer from amnesia, not recognizing the joint federal/provincial panel’s rejection of the mine just a couple of years ago. There is no right way to do the wrong thing.
In answer to questions on water contamination from such things as selenium, there was reassurance it was a function of technology and technique. The technique part is not to allow mountain tops to be blasted off and pushed into stream valleys where selenium can leach into surface waters. The technology part is the very superior treatment to remove it when companies will be allowed to blow the tops off mountains and selenium is released to surface waters.
Both ministers seemed resolute this treatment for selenium removal was viable. Again, maybe they have been reading the coal industry’s promotional literature, since nowhere else is there evidence of such an effective technology. Their explanations were a far cry from an evidence-based, rational realm and a long distance call from helpful.
Touted was the “at arm’s length” aspect of regulatory review by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). Given the direction to the AER by minister Jean to consider Northback’s coal exploration application maybe Albertans are wondering if the agency should be beyond the reach of arm’s length.
There was much reassurance Alberta has the “best” regulatory and land-use planning systems in the world. Since every other jurisdiction brags of the same standards it’s not clear who judges this and provides the gold medals. Alberta’s regulatory and land-use planning failures might make some skeptical of the “world class” standards. There are few grand myths perpetrated by the UCP that are as insidious and bereft of evidence as the exceptionalism touted in how we care for the land and water.
The rationale and assurances from the ministers were like soap bubbles, iridescent but insubstantial and when probed, they burst, indicating work on a modern coal policy lacks a certain spine. Whether or not this is “modern” depends on your perspective. A steam engine would be considered modern, in a wider era.
There is a stark choice for these politicians. They can try to justify coal mining in the Eastern Slopes, somewhere, but to do so they have to dismiss the ecological, hydrological, water quality, health and social issues as well as reclamation feasibility. Or, they could just tell the truth. If the Alberta government’s coal policy modernization were a stew it would be unappetizing, consisting mostly of gristle, with a consistency of vulcanized rubber, covered with a brown, viscous fluid masquerading as gravy.
A child of five might well understand the need to protect the Eastern Slopes. As Groucho Marx once said, “Send someone to fetch a child of five.” Because, the Alberta government seems incapable of the task.
Lorne Fitch is a Professional Biologist, a retired Fish and Wildlife Biologist and a former Adjunct Professor with the University of Calgary. He is the author of Streams of Consequence and Travels Up the Creek: A Biologist’s Search For a Paddle.
16-15
Go west 30 miles and intervene in those 2 mile long NDP coal trains headed from Sparwood to Westport for China. Do that and you will gain massive credibility. As of now you’re just another one who cries about the UCP and anything they do.
A little selenium will put hair on your chest, eh Bucky? Or as Marie Antoinette might say, “They have no water? Let them drink wine.”
Nothing like receiving the promise of polluting Lethbridge’s water supply as a Christmas present from the UCP.
Excellent letter Sir. You summed up the irrationality of the UCP perfectly. They really don’t care about the people under their thumb. We are depending on a river that may go dry any summer yet UCP gives permission to a foreign mining company to draw water from the headwater.
might we consider organising to stand up, quite literally, as a massive protest of people opposed, to stop this being force fed upon us all? any ideas, anyone? perhaps we can set a day, and time frame for that day, for a very many to to hit the pass in a show of determined opposition. not to be a one-off if the govt continues to press forward on this; rather, a show of what will be a continued response toward protecting our water.
i certainly cannot use any more coal, be it as a late xmas present, or otherwise.