Grassy Mountain, peak to left, and the Grassy Mountain Coal Project are seen north of Blairmore on June 6, 2024.--CP FILE PHOTO
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Justin Wright, MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat, says the province is “not taking the mountain top off” if the Alberta Energy Regulator approves the Grassy Mountain Coal Mining Project, during a recent informal open house held for members of the public at his constituency office.
The project was squashed in 2021 following a decision issued by the Ministry of Environment, after the project was deemed to likely cause significant adverse environmental effects. However, the proposed coal mine was back in front of courts in January for a three-day contentious AER hearing with an Australian-owned company seeking to drill and mine the site.
Concerns around the new proposal were raised by residents over its environmental impacts, especially on local water supply. Resident Anna Hansen asked Wright why the UCP was supporting the coal mine if it’s not a mandate given by voters and was shut down in 2021.
“Why are Albertans being excluded from the coal policy consultation? Because it is 70 per cent of Albertans that do not want this coal mine. They’re not consulting with landowners, they’re not consulting with the agricultural industry,” Hansen said.
Wright said Albertans voted for the province to grow the economy and “to ensure that we’re getting our goods to market, and coal is a good we need to get to market.”
Additionally, Wright suggested more than 60 per cent of the province does not agree with solar and wind power, however the province still allowed that to develop.
“There are apples-to-apples comparisons in other forms (however we) make sure that we’re getting our goods to market.”
Wright told Hansen he would personally reach out to the Ministry of Environment to provide a timeline of the consultation that was done between regulators and shareholders, but could not provide exact information during the informal open-house.
Hansen is worried because the mine will use around 650 litres of water per tonne of coal produced, and if approved, the mine is expected to produce approximately 4.5 million tonnes of coal being mined over its service life.
“That’s a massive amount of water,” says Hansen.
Wright said that exact question was asked to ministers in the chamber during the fall session and they said the proposed mine would only use water from the previous mine.
“So there’s no new fresh water being pumped out, and there’s no water that is being disposed of off the top of the existing mine,” he said. “If it was going to affect the water, it would have been affecting the water since the 1960s because it’s an existing mine.”
Hansen pushed back on the assertion that the only water needed for the coal mine to operate for more than 20 years is former mine-contaminated water at the mine site.
“That’s just blatantly absurd,” she said.
“Coal mines require massive, massive amounts of water. There is no way that the water sitting up there in those ponds is going to be sufficient … some of the water from this mine, 100 per cent has to come from our allotment, like allotment of irrigation, for people, for industry.”
Wright says those allotments will not be affected if the project is approved by Alberta Energy Regulators.
“No new water usage was coming out of any allotments or any of our industry … the existing water that was located on site is what was being used. Hard stop,” said Wright.
A decision on the Grassy Mountain Coal Mining project is expected to be given within 90 days of the conclusion from the second round of hearings on Jan. 16. However, opponents expect it will be approved by the AER.
Wright, who also chairs the province’s new drought advisory committee that has recently been extended by a six-month period, says the committee is looking at drought mapping and holding more public engagement sessions with stakeholders in rural and urban areas of the province to help identify what could happen if drought conditions continue.
Justin Wright is basically full of it, and so are the UCP. Most Albertans oppose open pit coal mining in the Rockies of Alberta, because of permanent damage to the mountains, and selenium contamination in the water. Peter Lougheed enacted the 1976 Coal Policy for good reasons, which was to protect the mountains, the water and the environment from harm.
Justin Wright is basically full of it, and so are the UCP. Most Albertans oppose open pit coal mining in the Rockies of Alberta, because of permanent damage to the mountains, and selenium contamination in the water. Peter Lougheed enacted the 1976 Coal Policy for good reasons, which was to protect the mountains, the water and the environment from harm.