Latest news with #AlbertaEnergyRegulator
National Observer
7 days ago
- Business
- National Observer
Why does Alberta yearn for the coal mines?
This is how corporate bullies get their way. Alberta's energy regulator last week approved coal exploration plans by Australian-based Northback Holdings on Grassy Mountain in the Crowsnest Pass region. The approval came after a consortium of powerful coal mining companies sued the Alberta government for more than $15 billion over losses they claim were incurred when the province imposed a mining moratorium in the area. Northback is not part of the joint lawsuit, but it too filed a claim against the Alberta government that will be heard separately. The lawsuits, with their astronomical price tags, have not yet been heard. But in one key way they have already served their intended purpose; they cowed Alberta Premier Danielle Smith into lifting the moratorium for the good of taxpayers . So here we are creeping toward yet another fossil fuel development in a province hellbent on exploiting its vast stores of legacy energy at a time when we should be looking for cleaner alternatives. Metallurgical coal, which burns hot and is used to produce steel, is one of the dirtiest energy sources on our planet. Iron and steel production alone is responsible for about 11 per cent of the world's carbon emissions. If that's not bad enough, open-pit coal mining is also a major source of water pollution. Coal mines in Alberta and BC have a nasty history of polluting Canadian waterways with selenium, a chemical highly toxic to fish and harmful to humans in high doses. It was the spectre of selenium fouling the area's pristine rivers that caused the feds in 2021 to kibosh initial plans to mine coal at the Grassy Mountain site. Nevertheless, the project reemerged once the moratorium was lifted and the energy regulator has now ruled the company's exploration drilling plans meet the public interest . The decision stresses the approval is for exploration only, which carries far less environmental risk and notes strict waste disposal demands will provide an extra precautionary measure. But here's the thing: If the exploration results are favourable, a fullblown mine is the only logical next step. And judging by the premier's recent remarks, Smith has already made that mental leap. Days after the energy regulator's decision, she urged Albertans to start looking at coal mining in ' a different way .' She said mining opponents ignore the fact that it's impossible to build the polysilicon solar panels or steel wind turbines without burning coal. Except neither statement is quite true. The Alberta Energy Regulator's approval of a coal mine exploration project has us creeping toward yet another fossil fuel development when we should be looking for less carbon polluting alternatives. @ writes Although most steel is still produced using metallurgical coal, new technology has made it possible to produce steel with electricity . Here in Canada, Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie is very close to turning out steel with the use of two new electric arc furnaces. Similarly, REC Silicon , a company in Moses Lake, Wash., has found a way to use electricity to purify the silicon needed for solar panels. She sought to alleviate concerns about water pollution, which caused the enormous public outcry in the agriculture-dependent region and the resulting moratorium in 2022, by suggesting a return to underground coal mining at Grassy Mountain. 'When it comes to coal mining, people do not want to see mountaintop removal,' she said. 'People do not want to see strip mining.' If Northback Holdings can find a way to do that, the Alberta government will be open to it, she said. Underground mining is likely less environmentally risky because it shields the exposed coal seams from rainwater that washes selenium into waterways, Stephen Legault, Environmental Defence's senior manager of Alberta energy transition, told me when I called him for a fact check. But we must remember that underground coal mines are hugely dangerous for people who work in them, he added. That's why they have largely been phased out in Canada. Canada's last remaining underground coal mine , which reopened in 2022, was shuttered after a roof cave-in the following year. Nova Scotia's Donkin mine has been cleared to resume operation, but low coal prices make the economics challenging. Legault pointed out the cruel irony of advancing a project to mine one of the world's dirtiest fossil fuels in the springtime when Albertans are hoping against hope to be spared another devastating fire season caused by global warming. 'It seems to me that there would be more profitable, more equitable and safer ways of developing our economy in Southern Alberta than going back in time to when we were mining for coal underground.' Alberta is a province with huge expertise in the energy business, yet when it comes to economic development, it insists on looking backward. The International Energy Agency predicts the world will reach peak demand for oil and coal by the end of this decade. Surely now is the time to move on from mining coal and plan for the low carbon future we know is coming soon.
Calgary Herald
25-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Alberta regulator set bar too low in coal exploration approval
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has rendered its decision allowing Northback Holdings to proceed with more coal exploration on Grassy Mountain — the zombie-like coal mine proposal that will not die and is kept on life support by the Alberta government. Article content Article content This is the first time the AER has convened a hearing over a coal-exploration application. However, to call this progress would be like calling the 1940 British army retreat at Dunkirk a victory. Yes, there was a process, which some got to participate in, but given the criteria the AER used for a decision, an approval was not a surprise. Article content Article content That the decision was a foregone conclusion requires only a review of the legislation the AER administers and the act (Responsible Energy Development Act) that provides the mandate for the agency. Article content Article content My friend, the late Francis Gardner, told an apocryphal story about a cowboy coming out of a bar and finding his friend on his hands and knees under a street light. When asked what he was doing, the reply was, 'I'm looking for my truck keys.' 'But,' the friend said, 'your truck is way over there, why are you searching for your keys here?' The answer was, ''Cause the light's better.' The metaphor is apt for the AER decision since solutions are seen in the light of our own understanding (and mandate). Article content When your mandate is to 'provide for the efficient, safe, orderly and environmentally responsible development of energy resources in Alberta,' that is the light and the lens through which you see answers to applications like the coal-exploration one. The word 'development' is prominent and clouds all other choices. Article content Article content The rest is just window dressing, not actually considering the effects of an activity on the environment. The AER's political direction, and hence inclination, is weighted to development, not protection. Article content According to the 'rules,' an activity like coal exploration requires only a 'predisturbance site assessment.' This is characterized as a bare-bones minimum for understanding the effects on fish, wildlife, rare plants, riparian areas, wetlands, unstable slopes, water quality, hydrologic changes and a host of other environmental elements, like cumulative effects. Do not think of this as an impact assessment — it's more like a brief windshield tour. Article content Consultants did a 'desktop' review, searching government databases for information, but did not talk to anyone who was a content expert. These databases are a starting point for planning, but fail as a comprehensive source because they are often incomplete, not up to date, and are missing information on overlooked or under-reported species, many of which are species at risk.
CTV News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Alberta Energy Regulator fines company $456K for providing misleading, false info
A person walks past the offices of the Alberta Energy Regulator in Calgary, Thursday, March 20, CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alberta Energy Regulator penalizes CEPro Energy & Environmental Services Inc. for contraventions
CALGARY, AB, May 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has issued an administrative penalty to CEPro Energy & Environmental Services Inc. (CEPro) in the amount of $456 000, for contraventions of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA). A copy of the decision is on the AER's Compliance Dashboard. Following an investigation, the AER determined that CEPro contravened section 227(b) and 227(c) of EPEA by failing to provide information and for providing false or misleading information. In February 2023, CEPro submitted five reclamation certificate applications for oil sands exploration programs on behalf of Everest Canadian Resources Corp. through the AER's OneStop system. Applications are required to include a declaration attesting to the accuracy of the information. Subsequently reclamation certificates were issued based on the information provided. On May 25, 2023, an AER audit of the application submissions identified multiple regulatory breaches. Subsequent audits confirmed further deficiencies, including falsified or missing data relating to Phase 1 environmental site assessments (ESAs), among other requirements. Accordingly, the AER cancelled the reclamation certificates that had been issued to Everest based on information submitted to the AER by CEPro. An administrative penalty is one of many compliance and enforcement tools the AER can use when companies do not comply with the regulatory requirements. For more information on the AER's investigation enforcement processes, please see the Investigations webpage on the Alberta Energy Regulator The AER provides for the safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resources in Alberta through our regulatory activities. For more information visit Contact Email: media@ | Media line: 1-855-474-6356 Connect with AER X | LinkedIn | Facebook CONTACT: AER Media Alberta Energy Regulator 1-855-474-6356 media@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alberta Energy Regulator penalizes CEPro Energy & Environmental Services Inc. for contraventions
CALGARY, AB, May 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has issued an administrative penalty to CEPro Energy & Environmental Services Inc. (CEPro) in the amount of $456 000, for contraventions of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA). A copy of the decision is on the AER's Compliance Dashboard. Following an investigation, the AER determined that CEPro contravened section 227(b) and 227(c) of EPEA by failing to provide information and for providing false or misleading information. In February 2023, CEPro submitted five reclamation certificate applications for oil sands exploration programs on behalf of Everest Canadian Resources Corp. through the AER's OneStop system. Applications are required to include a declaration attesting to the accuracy of the information. Subsequently reclamation certificates were issued based on the information provided. On May 25, 2023, an AER audit of the application submissions identified multiple regulatory breaches. Subsequent audits confirmed further deficiencies, including falsified or missing data relating to Phase 1 environmental site assessments (ESAs), among other requirements. Accordingly, the AER cancelled the reclamation certificates that had been issued to Everest based on information submitted to the AER by CEPro. An administrative penalty is one of many compliance and enforcement tools the AER can use when companies do not comply with the regulatory requirements. For more information on the AER's investigation enforcement processes, please see the Investigations webpage on the Alberta Energy Regulator The AER provides for the safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resources in Alberta through our regulatory activities. For more information visit Contact Email: media@ | Media line: 1-855-474-6356 Connect with AER X | LinkedIn | Facebook CONTACT: AER Media Alberta Energy Regulator 1-855-474-6356 media@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
