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Global News
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Study says Alberta's coal mine reclamation standards failing to protect water and fish
Alberta regulations meant to keep old coal mines from polluting streams and lakes are failing, suggests a study by government scientists. The study says high levels of numerous contaminants are having grave outcomes for aquatic life and their ecosystems. One of the authors, a former Alberta government scientist in charge of environmental monitoring, says the paper speaks to 'regulatory inaction.' 'These results suggest current reclamation practices and regulatory requirements for water quality and aquatic ecosystems are not meeting the desired objectives,' the authors write at the end of the report. View image in full screen Protestors gather outside the offices of the Alberta Energy Regulator in January 2025, where a hearing on Northback Holdings proposal to explore for coal in the Grassy Mountain area of southern Alberta was being held. The AER eventually approved the company's plan. Global News The peer-reviewed study is by three Alberta government scientists and the former government scientist, who is now an environmental consultant. Story continues below advertisement They took samples from rivers near three old coal mines south of Hinton, Alta., which are four kilometres from Jasper National Park at their closest point. The mines closed in the early 2000s. The authors discovered some improvements to water quality since mining activities ended, but in rivers downstream, they found high concentrations of several pollutants in the water. In the Luscar Creek and Gregg River, for example, nickel ratios were 200 times higher downstream from the mines than in water upstream. In the nearby McLeod River Basin, they determined selenium levels and other ions provide a 'persisting threat to water quality,' even though one mine has been nearly fully reclaimed and another is 60 per cent reclaimed. 1:59 Pristine Alberta lake contaminated by dust from mountaintop coal mines: study The authors looked at the number of samples in which selenium concentrations exceeded Alberta's protection of aquatic life guideline, a limit the province uses to determine when contamination levels would likely cause harm to an ecosystem. Story continues below advertisement At six locations, 98 to 100 per cent of testing samples found selenium concentrations exceeded that limit. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy They write that elevated selenium levels have 'insidious' effects on certain fish and birds, because the substance is passed down from parents to offspring and presents in deformities and impairs their ability to reproduce. It is otherwise a naturally occurring element that's vital in small amounts. The authors also note the McLeod River Basin is home to Athabasca Rainbow Trout, listed as endangered Canada's Species At Risk Act — a law created to protect and recover at-risk species. They write that the trout is likely to go extinct. More broadly, they write that a growing body of research shows 'reclamation and mitigation practices may not restore aquatic habitat or reverse ecological damage.' Bill Donahue, one of the study's authors and a former chief of environmental monitoring for the Alberta government, said in an interview that the study demonstrates 'regulatory inaction.' 'The big lie is that Albertans seem to think that the regulator is going to look at what's submitted and, if those promises and requirements aren't met, then the company is going to have to fix it,' he said. 'Well, here's the paper that says that's not true.' Story continues below advertisement Donahue said he's unsure proper regulations can be created to reverse the impacts of coal mining, because there is little historical evidence companies have been able to do so after they've ended operations, no matter how much money they spend. 2:27 Alberta Energy Regulator approves Grassy Mountain coal exploration He also called the study a 'warning flag' for future coal projects in Alberta. Earlier this year, the Alberta Energy Regulator granted an Australia-based coal company permission to start a controversial coal exploration on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, concluding the small-scale project likely won't have any effect on water quality downstream. The regulator said at the time that it couldn't consider the possibility that the exploration permit might lead to a full-blown coal mine in the future. Ryan Fournier, press secretary for Alberta's Environment Ministry, said the province has shared the study with the regulator and it's one of the reasons the province isn't allowing any more open-pit mines. Story continues below advertisement It's up to the regulator to decide if more monitoring or actions are needed in the bodies of water referenced in the study, Fournier said, adding selenium levels sometimes exceeded fish protection alert levels but there's currently no evidence of population decline. 'These results are also why any new mines will be required to either be underground mines or use advanced selenium management techniques and deploy state-of-the-art technology and monitoring to protect the surrounding environment,' he wrote in a statement. 1:59 Alberta group challenges province to public debate on coal development The regulator said in a statement it's reviewing the findings. Asked if it was aware of selenium concentrations in Luscar Creek or Gregg River, the regulator said it has a long-standing requirement for approval holders to reduce selenium concentrations to levels that don't affect the aquatic environment and it has tools to enforce regulatory compliance. Story continues below advertisement 'Achievement of selenium reduction objectives is expected to progress over multiple years as mines advance towards reclamation,' it said.
CBC
12-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith faces raucous, angry town hall on province's coal policy
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and three of her ministers got an earful on Wednesday night from southern Alberta locals at a rowdy, hours-long town hall to discuss the province's coal policy. About 500 people, many dressed in cowboy hats, belt buckles, and jeans, packed a community hall in Fort Macleod, Alta., for an event marked by heckling, competing applause and placards. "If we are not prepared to look and find middle-ground solutions to allow for industries to proceed while reducing our environmental footprint, you're going to find that different industries become the next on the hit list," Smith said through a chorus of protesting voices and verbal jabs. "Banning industries is just not something we are going to do." The premier and her ministers of energy, environment and agriculture took questions and were shouted down on several occasions by attendees as they defended changes to the province's coal policy. Many in the crowd held small placards reading "lie" and "false," raising them each time they disagreed with a statement. There was a notable group that came in support of the province's coal policy, frequently applauding the ministers and shooting back at other crowd members. Many attendees carried notebooks and pens, keenly taking notes throughout. The town hall came weeks after the Alberta Energy Regulator granted an Australia-based coal company permission to start a controversial coal exploration on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Northback Holdings Corp.'s project at Grassy Mountain was initially rejected in 2021 when a panel ruled that the likely environmental effects on fish and water quality outweighed the potential economic benefits. Late last year, the project was exempted from the Alberta government's decision to ban open-pit coal mines because Northback's application was considered an "advanced" proposal. The issue has been polarizing in southern Alberta, where the debate has primarily revolved around the economic implications of development against environmental effects. A non-binding referendum in Crowsnest Pass saw 70 per cent of voters saying they'd support the nearby coal project. Despite frequent pushback over the two-and-a-half-hour event, Smith rarely chose to get into back-and-forth discussions with attendees. She defended the province's approach to coal developments, pitching responsible development that prioritizes environmental standards. Smith also frequently cited a lawsuit by five coal companies that say they're owed $15 billion by the province in lost revenues and sunk costs. She argued again on Wednesday that she had taxpayers in mind when the province lifted its moratorium on coal mining and development on the eastern slopes. "If we do nothing, then we are told we'll likely lose those cases and have to pay ($15 billion)." Brian Jean, the province's energy minister, frequently challenged the boisterous crowd and at times trotted offstage to hand his business card to those asking questions. "I live in the oilsands. You can't tell me what I'm concerned about and what I'm not concerned about. I'm very concerned about our earth and our planet," he said. Several questions returned to a new study by Alberta government scientists, yet to be peer reviewed, which recently said old coal mines on the eastern slopes are poisoning fish and any further coal mining there would result in "population collapse" of fish species in a nearby lake. Asked about the report, Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said the province is looking into the issue and is waiting for it to be confirmed by the peer-review process. She said further studies to be released later this year are being conducted. "We want to understand what is happening there so that we can prevent that from happening in the future." The premier also jousted with protesters while speaking to reporters before the town hall. When a group gathered behind her and started yelling, she turned around and asked them to let her finish the interview. "I'm looking for a little bit of courtesy," she said. The event was scheduled to last two hours, but Smith asked to take questions for an extra 30 minutes after the clock had run out. Carmen Linderman, president of the group Citizens Supportive of Crowsnest Coal, made the drive east to show support for the coal exploration project. "We believe that this can be done responsibly," she told CBC News. "Our community needs high-paying jobs, mortgage-paying jobs." Laura Myers, who lives about an hour north of Fort Macleod, attended the town hall and described it as "emotionally charged." "Those of us who are aware of this issue and have been fighting this issue for the past bunch of years don't trust [Smith]. We don't trust her. We don't trust the AER. We don't trust the people making the decisions," she said after the meeting. "It seems like they're listening to Northback Holdings ... but they're not listening to Albertans." Lethbridge Polytechnic student Alexx Olsen travelled to the town hall from Coaldale, Alta., to hear Smith respond to the concerns. "There's been a lot of lost faith and she's going to have to work really, really hard to get that back," said Olsen. "I do not think she achieved that today."
National Observer
28-05-2025
- 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.
Edmonton Journal
23-05-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: Alberta regulator set bar too low in coal exploration approval
Article content 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. 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.
