Anger as Alberta Lifts Ban on Rockies Coal Mining

“The blowback on government will be larger, more vociferous, better organized and last longer.... It will be an election issue for sure.”

Let’s see if we can suck up Jason Kenny and his lawsuit against himself. (Danielle image by Robert Crumb)

By Andrew Nikiforuk, The Tyee

While Premier Danielle Smith attended the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, her government once again signalled its intention to open up the eastern slopes of the Rockies to Australian coal speculators and billionaires despite massive public opposition.

Without public consultation or even so much as a press release, Energy Minister Brian Jean’s Jan. 15 letter instructed the Alberta Energy Regulator to rescind three ministerial orders on coal, including an indefinite moratorium on mining and exploration in the eastern slopes of the Rockies. The order was to be maintained until proper land-use planning had been completed.

Read Andrew Nikiforuk’s full article in The Tyee . . .