The battle is joined: Crowsnest Pass goes rogue against neighbouring communities
Crowsnest Pass takes on rest of Alberta over power to pollute water and air
The neighbours are concerned. Photo by Peter Jowett
An Australian Coal Baron Subverts Alberta’s Democracy
A bogus referendum this week could bring a risky coal mine to the Rockies.
Read the story by Andrew Nikiforuk in The Tyee
Let's do this': Crowsnest Pass mayor wants proposed coal mine sooner than later
Braced by an overwhelming vote by local residents, Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter charges ahead to fast-track Australian coal mine in the headwaters of the Oldman River system.
High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass says, not so fast. Others must have a say over the environmental stakes before regulatory process proceeds.
Full story by The Canadian Press
Farmers, ranchers and fishermen won’t be too happy
Fort Macleod contributor Peter Jowett
On November 25, 1951 Crowsnest Pass residents voted in favour of Northback’s Grassy Mountain coal mining project. This non-binding referendum excluded the 2416 taxpayers who do not live there full-time. The result will be used by the Crowsnest Pass municipal government to lobbyer the mine even though it is sited for the adjacent municipality of MD Ranchland.
In 2021 , the UCP Government’s coal committee’s provincial canvass showed 72 percent of 25,000 respondents saying NO to coal mining because it would have a detrimental impact on water and the environment. Sixty-two per cent said that, economically, coal industry revenues for the province didn’t warrant the probability of environmental damage. Also in 2021, the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Alberta Energy Regulator concluded that the project would contaminate the Oldman watershed with selenium and other heavy metals. The project was denied.
With complete disregard for Alberta’s own regulatory agency, in 2022 premier Smith stated that her government would support the mine if Crowsnest Pass residents agreed. Clearly, 1951 “Yes” voters for a proven environmentally damaging project should not hold much sway over something that will negatively impact the water quantity and quality for downstream aquatic and terrestrial life for more than 200,000 Albertans for a very long time. This is a decision for all Albertans to make. Premier Smith would do well to respect this.
I attended “Water 2.0”, a public information forum in Nanton on November 5, where a panel of four people well-versed in pro- and anti-coal issues made presentations and fielded questions. Here’s a link to that event:(https://app.frame.io/presentations/f3c0cda4-5d02-46b3-876a-6251b14fdeb4).
Toxicologist Mandy Olsgard M.Sc., P.Biol., (formerly with the Alberta Energy Regulator) presented findings showing a strong correlation between airborne coal dust and increased rates of mortality and illness from cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and even birth defects in humans. Her study predicted similar risks could be expected from particulate matter as well as chemical deposition on nearby ranchland and pasture with potential adverse effects in livestock. Amongst various gas emissions associated with coal mining, nitrogen dioxide is most concerning as a key component in the generation of acid rain and the related acidification of water and soil. Oh, Oh, farmers, ranchers and fishermen won’t be too happy with this prospect!
Selenium is the most discussed pollutant associated with coal mining. Though an essential element as a micro-nutrient, selenium concentrations released from coal mining are toxic, particularly for aquatic species. In aquatic systems, the allowable pollution concentration is just 2 micrograms per litre while livestock and humans are more tolerant with allowable release concentrations of 40-50 micrograms. Northback may claim the ability to remove 95-99 percent of the selenium, which sounds great, BUT even at 99 percent removal the coal mine effluent can still exceed aquatic guidelines by 5-10 times! Currently, the best selenium treatment technologies can attain are 3.5 micrograms per litre in saturated rock fill and 11.4 with active water treatment. That’s the reported effectives of the most modern treatment facilities at the Elk Valley’s Glencore (formerly Teck) Mines. In 2021, Teck wasfined $60 million for selenium and nitrate pollution of the Elk and Fording Rivers and since have faced millions in additional fines despite spending over $1.2 billion on water treatment.
The fact is there is no technological fix for removing selenium to lawful (and safe) levels anywhere in the world.
Selenium bio-accumulates which means that when it enters a system or organism, it stays and accumulates, drastically increasing the harm rendered. So, we know that releases of selenium are likely to be toxic to aquatic life from the start. As time passes selenium pollution continues to accumulate, travels hundreds of kilometers downstream, and eventually becomes toxic to livestock, wildlife and humans (as has already happened to now-condemned municipal drinking water wells in Sparwood and Fernie.
Coal mining consumes a lot of water. A 2021 University of Calgary faculty-of-law assessment of the water demands projected by Benga Mining (now Northback) for Grassy Mountain determined that it was significantly under-estimated based on consumption rates from comparative coal mining operations: “. . . the impact of mining in this region is expected to place a new stress on the already stressed water resources of the Oldman River Basin.” And, this stress will be most acute during times of drought with conflict among water users.
Smith’s government must not use a mere majority of 1182 pro-coal votes in Crowsnest Pass to support province-wide degradation of air and water quality. I don’t blame those voters hoping for a better economic future; I just wish the government would divert its pro-coal energies into developing a sustainable local economy for the deserving people of Crowsnest Pass.
Donations are gratefully accepted by Interac e-Transfer to funding@crowsnestheadwaters.ca