Moratorium On Coal in Alberta Removed
The Alberta Minister of Energy and Minerals has directed the Alberta Energy Regulator to remove the moratorium on coal mine development and exploration across the Rocky Mountains and Eastern Slopes
By Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
What does this mean? Coal exploration projects in land categories 2, 3 and 4 — areas that cover nearly the entirety of the Eastern Slopes outside of parks and protected areas — can advance immediately. It also nullifies the question of ‘advanced’ projects, and whether or not Grassy Mountain was exempt.
“This confirms fears that the Coal Industry Modernization Initiative (CIMI) will serve to cater to the coal industry. It also disregards the results of the 2021 Coal Policy public engagement, which showed that 70% of Albertans oppose any new coal exploration or mine development anywhere in the province,” notes Tara Russell, Program Director at CPAWS Northern Alberta.
Read the CPAWS assessment of Alberta’s sudden wide-open coal plan