Singer Corb Lund sings on land proposed for coal mine development of the Livingstone range south west of Longview, Alta., on June 16, 2021. Lund is hoping to get approval from Elections Alberta on a petition to block coal mining on Eastern Slopes.--CP File Photo
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Juno award-winning country music artist Corb Lund filed an application with Elections Alberta last week to launch a citizen’s initiative petition to stop coal mining on the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
“The Grassy Mountain Project near Crowsnest Pass is quietly proceeding through the steps in its approval process (again), despite having already previously been found to be not in the public interest by the federal govt [sic] and the provincial energy regulator (AER), as well as having their subsequent appeals repeatedly denied by the courts,” wrote Lund on Facebook on Thursday.
The proposal articulated in Lund’s petition is: “The Government of Alberta shall prohibit by law any and all new coal mining activities, including new approvals and permits within the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains.”
Lund says the province’s ongoing replacement of the 1976 Lougheed Coal Policy with the Coal Industry Modernization Initiative is happening with little consultation with the public or relevant conservation groups.
Lund has not yet heard back from Elections Alberta about whether his application for a petition has been approved.
According to Lund’s statement on Facebook, if approved his petition will require 178,000 signatures over 120 days to produce either a referendum or the introduction of legislation.
Current policy prohibits mountaintop removal altogether, and prohibits new open-pit coal mining in the Eastern Slopes as well as new coal mining proposals that do not adhere to the use of best water practices.
Still, Lund says he worries about the impact coal mining in the region would have on drinking water and agriculture.
Global News reported that the Minister of Energy and Minerals Brian Jean responded to the news of the initiative outside the legislature in Edmonton last week.
“I think coal is a great resource if we mine it properly, why wouldn’t we be able to mine it and get the value of that resource to people in Alberta,” said Jean. “Metallurgical coal is a critical mineral – and Alberta’s poised to be a very major player in the development of metallurgical coal. If we do it right we could see an amazing amount of royalty dollars coming to the people of Alberta.”
Lund expects to hear from Elections Alberta regarding whether his application is successful in one or two weeks.
