The Grassy Mountain Coal Project Hearing - what you need to know

“…the ultimate question is one that every Albertan can understand and should be given a chance to answer: Should Alberta be permitting companies to remove the tops of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains for coal in 2020?”

The Grassy Mountain Coal Project is an open-pit coal mine Australian-based Benga Mining Ltd proposes to build by removing the top of Grassy Mountain, near the town of Blairmore in the Crowsnest Pass in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. The proposed mine would cover 2800 hectares, and Benga claims it would operate for 24 years, from 2021 to 2045.

The mine is undergoing an Environmental Impact Assessment by a Joint Review Panel of federal and provincial regulators, which will hear evidence from Benga, citizens of the Crowsnest Pass who will be effected by the project like the Livingstone Landowner Group and the Municipal District of Ranchlands, and environmental protection groups like CPAWS, the Timberwolf Wilderness Society, the Alberta Wilderness Association, and Trout Unlimited.

The hearing process is crucial to the decision on whether the mine will be approved. After the hearing, the Joint Review Panel will submit their findings and recommendations to the Alberta Energy Regulator, the federal Environment Minister, and if the Environment Minister determines the project will cause significant adverse environmental effects, the Governor in Council. Although the Joint Review Panel makes findings about the likely impacts of the project, elected federal politicians are ultimately responsible for the decision on whether or not the Grassy Mountain Coal Mine will be built.

The hearing is a public process and will be streamed on YouTube for any interested Canadian to watch. All the information for the mine and the hearing can be found on the registry here. If you are interested in how land use decisions are made in Alberta and Canada, this is your opportunity to see how it happens. Some of the discussion at the hearing will be scientific and technical, but the ultimate question is one that every Albertan can understand and should be given a chance to answer: Should Alberta be permitting companies to remove the tops of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains for coal in 2020?

The full hearing is expected to run from October 27th, 2020 to November 30th, 2020. The hearing will be organized by topic, and the expected schedule is here. Each topic will consist of experts giving evidence and being cross-examined by opposing parties.

This mine could scar the landscape, harm the water quality of the Oldman river system, seriously harm important habitat for Alberta’s species at risk, and contribute to Alberta’s greenhouse gas emissions. There are serious concerns about the economic viability of the project and Benga’s ability to control environmental contamination and pay for remediation. CPAWS will be raising these concerns at the hearing. It is crucial that we advocate for responsible land planning and conservation at the hearing, CPAWS and the LLG will both be formally intervening in the hearing. 

People who have called the area around the proposed mine home for generations are also raising concerns. Ranchers have spoken out about the destruction of valuable native grassland used for grazing and devastating effects on watersheds that results from these mining projects. Like all large-scale industrial projects, the detrimental effects are felt far beyond the project site. As noted by limnologist David Schindler, “again, Alberta will be left with stranded assets, along with a legacy of degraded landscapes.” Another environmental impact of coal mines comes from the emissions they create. The Grassy Mountain mine is a metallurgical coal project, and although the coal will not be burned for energy generation, steel production is the second-most polluting industrial material in the world.

Coal mines are major industrial developments and environmental damage is unavoidable. When considering the likely impacts of the coal mine, the best approach is to consider the impacts of previous coal mines. Over the next 5 weeks we will be posting; lessons learned from other coal mines operating in Canada, the United States and Australia, updates about the progress of the hearing and testimony from expert witnesses presenting to the panel.

Write to Federal Environment Minister Johnathan Wilkinson and tell him to reject the Grassy Mountain Project today.