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In the recent pronouncement from the minister of Energy that the proposed Grassy Mountain coal mine is still an “advanced project,” one might conclude he believes in the living dead.
Nothing, it seems, is ever dead; it just waits in a moribund condition for the kiss of life from a government out of touch with Albertans’ feelings about blowing the tops off mountains in the Eastern Slopes.
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Apparently, this minister required a bit of remedial tutoring to be assured that Grassy Mountain is in the Eastern Slopes. He may not have read the report from brave scientists in another government department who concluded the old mine and the one on Tent Mountain continue to spew toxic materials at levels that far exceed provincial and federal standards. I suppose that is, in his estimation, a reflection a mine couldn’t really be dead, if it continues to actively and negatively affect downstream water and water drinkers.
On the minister’s reading list should have been the results of the joint federal-provincial panel. The panel heard from dozens of experts who debunked all the Australian company’s claims of minimal impacts, successful mitigation plans (including dealing with selenium and other toxic chemicals), bountiful economic benefits and so on, ad nauseum. That information, the facts and evidence then allowed the panel to conclude this project was not in the public interest. None of the evidence has been successfully contested by the company.
The minister must have also overlooked or slept through the massive outpouring of concern from Albertans over the prospect of turning the Eastern Slopes into a series of black holes at the expense of watershed protection, biodiversity maintenance, recreational and tourism attributes and the very real spectre taxpayers would be stuck with the reclamation costs (as is so very evident now with the petroleum sector).
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Based on the extreme backlash, the Alberta government convened a “coal policy committee” to advise it on coal issues. The extensive public engagement process found Albertans’ “top-of-mind” concern was the environmental impacts of coal mines.
Two things stand out from the results of the consultation: “Albertans have concerns about the regulatory process for coal activities. Albertans are concerned that coal policies can be easily overridden when many thought that these policies were legally binding.”
With this latest revelation about an about-face on the status of Grassy Mountain, those concerns still register large. The minister might consider this report required reading.
This situation resembles so closely an anecdote about W.C. Fields, an American comedian. He was an avowed atheist, yet was observed by a friend reading the Bible on his deathbed. Asked why, Fields’ reply was “Looking for loopholes, looking for loopholes.”
It would seem there have been an astounding number of loopholes sought yet all that have been through a judicial review have failed. Experts in law and policy point out the project is “legally dead.”
What else could explain the minister’s reluctance to drive a stake through the heart of this coal proposal and put it and Albertans out of our misery?
Lorne Fitch is a professional biologist, a retired fish and wildlife biologist and a past adjunct professor with the University of Calgary.
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