Rimbey - Rocky Mountain House - Sundre MLA Jason Nixon says new rules and regulations regarding coal mining in the province will ensure that any future mining operations, including west of Sundre and Cremona, will protect landscape and water resources.
Critics say the proposal doesn’t go far enough to ensure environment and agricultural protection.
The Alberta Coal Industry Modernization Initiative (CIMI) will include updated rules around mining, including a ban on new open-pit mines in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, also known as the Eastern Slopes.
The coal policy area outlined in the plan includes a vast wilderness area east of the Banff and Jasper National Parks.
“The new regulations will also ensure there are no new open-pit coal mining operations in the Eastern Slopes, and will ensure that any new developments across the province use the latest technology to protect our waterways and surrounding environment,” Nixon told the Albertan.
“Alberta’s government has heard sound and clear that Albertans want to protect iconic landscapes across the province in any industrial development. The CIMI will strengthen our province’s world-class environmental protection rules and ensure that any coal development is done with the strongest protections in the world.”
The CIMI will see the creation of long-term legislative and regulatory frameworks focused on environmental protections while allowing coal development under stringers protections, the Smith government says.
Critics, including the Official opposition, say the measures put business ahead of environmental protection.
NDP leader Naheed Nenshi said in a release that, “They (UCP) released a plan to increase coal mining in Alberta, and to do so in a way that has very little economic benefit and very significant environmental risk. So for farmers, for ranchers, for the agricultural sector, for people who live downstream, for outdoor enthusiasts this could not be a worse announcement.
“The premier and her minister show they listen to lobbyists instead of listening to Albertans.”
Brian Jean, minister of Energy and Minerals, said CIMI will “balance responsible resource development with strong environmental protections” across the province, including along the Eastern Slopes.
“Our job now is to develop a policy that respects natural spaces in the foothills and projections water while allowing for responsible coal development that can attract investment and create jobs,” said Jean.
Jason Nixon is the minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services in the Smith cabinet.
