Coal Mining
Photo courtesy of Jayce Hawkins and the Narwhal
Large Scale Coal Open Pit Mine Proposed
The public hearing into the Grassy Mountain Coal Project proposed in the Crowsnest Pass has concluded and the joint review panel recommended, in an extensive report released June 17, 2021 against proceeding with the project.
The panel determined that the adverse environmental effects on surface water quality and westslope cutthroat trout and its habitat outweigh the positive economic impacts of the project and the project is not in the public interest. The panel denied Benga's applications under the Coal Conservation Act and related applications under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, Water Act, and Public Lands Act.
August 6th, Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson released the federal government’s decision on the Grassy Mountain Coal Project. Minister Wilkinson concluded “the project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects” and the federal government “has determined those effects are not justified in the circumstances and therefore, the project cannot proceed.”
Benga Resources is now seeking leave to appeal those decisions through the courts.
The hearing took place between October 27 and December 2, 2020 and the public can still review access information at the JRC site, including the hearing transcripts or youtube presentations. For access to all the filed documentation click here.
Project Overview
The contentious project, which has been under consideration since about 2015, would include an open pit metuallurgical coal mine. The mine footprint would span 2,800 hectares (28 square kilometers) of land and, if approved, could well open the floodgates to other large mining projects now waiting in the wings.
More than 50,000 ha of the Oldman River headwaters - an area almost the size of Edmonton - are under lease today for possible future mountaintop mining. Renewed interest in mining metallurgical coal for export to overseas steel mills has raised concerns about the potential impact on wildlife and sensitive water systems.
Cumulative Impact Analysis
The LLG is working with other interested organizations and individuals to ensure that any decisions on new coal mining projects are based on the best possible analysis of the impacts on those of us living downwind and downstream.
The area around Crowsnest Pass is of significant interest to a number of major mining companies including Riversdale Resources, Atrum Coal, Montem Resources and North Coal.
The Crowsnest Conservation Society recently provided public stakeholders with an introduction to four potential mining projects currently under development in the vicinity of the Crowsnest Pass.
Properties identified for potential development by Riversdale Resources. Numerous other companies are also seeking to develop massive open pit mines.
Why Are Albertans Concerned?
Environmental Risk
The area proposed for the Grassy Mountain Mine affects a highly sensitive environmental area known to be home to multiple wildlife species at risk. Although mining companies offer various mitigation measures, past experience in Alberta and British Columbia shows these mitigations to often be inadequate.
The Grassy Mountain project will directly impact Blairmore Creek and Gold Creek watersheds, negatively impacting fish species at risk including Westslope Cutthroat trout and Bull trout.
Flows on Gold Creek and the Crowsnest River are also predicted to decrease as a result of water withdrawals and hydrological effects of the proposed mine.
Impact on fish, fish habitat, water quality and stream flows
Coal mining can accelerate the release of toxic levels of chemicals such as selenium and sulphate into streams. Such seepage can impair drinking water quality and cause deformation and death in fish.
Past experience shows it is very difficult for mining companies to adequately mitigate this risk. Numerous independent studies have shown much higher concentrations of selenium in rivers and creeks downstream of active coal mines in British Columbia and central Alberta.
In 2018, Teck Resources, which operates five coal strip mines in the Elk River valley, was fined $1.4 million over selenium (a chemical highly toxic to fish) discharges which killed large numbers of trout. Selenium and other toxic chemicals associated with the mining incident also created concerns for human water consumption and caused the shut down of a number of private water wells and community drinking wells
More recently, most of the cutthroat trout in the Fording River died downstream from coal mines. Survey teams working for the company in 2017 estimated 76 adult fish per kilometre in the 60-kilometre stretch of river from Teck’s four mines to the town of Elkford. By late 2019, the estimate was nine. Over the entire distance, water that held nearly 3,700 fish in the fall of 2017 had just 66 by October, 2019.
Cumulative Impact and Habitat Loss
The Crowsnest Pass area hosts numerous wildlife species of management concern and the risk to these vulnerable species increases as mining impacts cross over into adjacent areas though streams and wind.
Limber pine,
Whitebark pine
Endangered species directly impacted by the proposed mine footprint.
The Grassy Mountain Coal Mine is a very major industrial development and the impact will be substantial given its location in an extremely sensitive region with highly valued environmental and natural features.
This type of development seems contrary to the decades of land use planning work done by assorted governments, with much public input. Alberta has put in place a land use framework based on the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan and the Livingstone-Porcupine Hills Land Footprint Management Plan, including the area proposed for coal strip mining. These planning frameworks support minimizing industrial footprint, preserving our outdoor heritage and protecting our headwaters and wildlife diver