The Grassy Mountain coal project presents an environmental threat to our region. As such, coal extraction in the headwaters is an economic threat to the agri-food industry. It is the reasonable concern of every person to have access to uncontaminated water: for our homes, for our businesses, and for growing our food.

When the Grassy Mountain coal mining project was being considered, a Joint Review Panel gathered relevant research and examined expert testimony on the social, economic and environmental impacts of a mountain-top coal mine in the headwaters of the Oldman River (1). It was a thorough process based on best evidence and the Joint Review Panel decided in 2021 that this project was not in the public interest. Overall, this project is not good for people, it is not good for the environment, and it is not good for the citizen-taxpayer.

The reasons are simple: coal mines produce waste from which pollutants leach into surface and groundwater. Though there are many heavy metals that coal mining can release to our fresh water (2), selenium has been noted as a particularly risky pollutant as it bioaccumulates in the environment reaching toxic levels for fish, animals living in riparian areas, and potentially in agricultural soils and plants grown in them (3). This is a risk not only to human health, but the reputation of our regional agricultural products.

And the reputation of such a major contributor to the regional economy is not worth risking. Consider the mad cow incident in Alberta in 2003 as a cautionary tale: for what was considered to be a harmless practice of augmenting feed with offal, a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was observed on May 20, 2003. The discovery had immediate and devastating political, economic, trade, and social consequences for Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food industry. In 2001, Canada held about 15% of the world’s beef market worth $4.1 billion annually. By the summer of 2003, this market was almost zero (4). In this case, the cause was identified, feeding practices were mitigated, and the beef market recovered over time. This may not be possible with contaminants like selenium that will take many generations to diminish once introduced to the ecosystem through coal mining practices.

Healthy rivers provide clean, pollution-free water. The Oldman River is the source of drinking water for Lethbridge and many other communities. Upstream coal mining poses a real risk, as currently being experienced in the Elk River watershed in southeastern British Columbia where drinking water has been threatened by selenium contamination from coal mines (5). Conventional municipal water treatment does not always remove industrial chemicals and heavy metals, so it is best to keep them out of our source water for our own sakes.

Coal mining also creates air pollution and particulates that are deposited by Alberta’s chinook winds over large areas of agricultural land (6). Fugitive dust containing “silver, germanium, nickel, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium” have been identified as ‘potentially toxic elements’ (PTE) at other coal mining operations in the region (7). Health impacts will vary with distance from the mine, weather patterns, and mining practices, but include respiratory and cardiovascular problems, cancer concerns, and impacts on vulnerable populations like children, the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions. Studies on populations near coal mining operations in the United States suggest very significant costs related to health care and mortality, leading researchers to conclude “the human cost of … coal mining economy outweighs its economic benefits” (8).

Mining disrupts wildlife in their natural cycles and seasonal migrations. More specifically, mining embodies a direct loss and fragmentation of habitat, stress behaviours from physical or acoustic disturbance, alteration of ecosystem functions, and the introduction of competitive, predatory or parasitic organisms (9). Water pollution also negatively impacts aquatic ecosystems, threatening trout at risk in the headwaters streams and rivers (10). Considering the disruption of wildlife and an aesthetic marred by mining, these industrial practices discourage recreation and tourism which represent more sustainable economies for the region (11).

And if you think this coal mining project would be good for the economy, think again. The Joint Review Panel found that the project did not properly consider economic risks in its evaluation, and overstated royalty payments (12). There was no cost evaluation for the long-term treatment of water (long after the coal mine would be closed) and dubious commitments for restoration after mine closure. For a province that is already facing over $33 billion (13) of clean-up liabilities from industrial activities, not including the oil sands, it is bewildering that this project is being considered again by provincial legislators.

“The economic benefits — $440 million in undiscounted incremental tax revenues and $35 million in undiscounted incremental employment earnings — are overshadowed by the costs arising from the displacement of ranching, tourism and the negative environmental effects on water, vegetation, air and wildlife. Compounding these effects is the non-zero probability that the Alberta government will pick up the tab for reclamation costs, and the adverse social impacts on local communities and on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and interests. Therefore, any new coal mine development is unlikely to provide the province with a net benefit” (14).

We know that coal mining is not good for the environment, and that it offers implausible economic benefits over the long term. Perhaps we have an obligation as a consumer of steel to allow a coal mine for metallurgical coal? Well, no. The demand for metallurgical coal is expected to decline worldwide with the introduction of new hydrogen technologies and “as scrap becomes more widely available for secondary production, which is much less energy-intensive and uses electric arc furnaces to provide heat rather than coal” (15). The “steel sector is responsible for 7% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 11% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This is largely due to the use of coal – specifically metallurgical coal – to produce steel” (16). The IEA has created a roadmap to reduce these emissions by 90% by 2070 as new technologies are adopted by industry. According to current commitments to transition the steel sector to low-emission alternatives, there is considered to be enough metallurgical coal in production from existing mines to meet global demand (17). This begs the question: why we would assume these environmental, economic and social/health risks for a resource with declining global demand?

The Government of Alberta has lifted the moratorium on coal mining in the Eastern Slopes and has, again, rescinded the 1976 Coal Policy for Alberta. This effectively allows coal mining companies to advance their projects in the near term. A December 20, 2024 announcement indicates a new coal policy, the Alberta Coal Industry Modernization Initiative (CIMI), to come into effect within a year.

SAGE suggests:

1. Maintain the moratorium on new coal projects until the new coal policy has been approved by the legislature and has had the benefit of robust public consultation and parliamentary debate.
2. Honour the Recommendations of the Joint Review Panel derived after technical consultation and due democratic process. The Grassy Mountain coal project is not in the public interest.
3. Protect the Eastern Slopes from industrial pressure and preserve and restore the region as the source of water for the region.

References:

1. Report of the Joint Review Panel, Benga Mining Limited, Grassy Mountain Coal Project. (https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/document/139408?culture=en-CA)

2. Cooke, C.A., Emmerton, C.A., & Drevnick, P.E. (2024). Legacy coal mining impacts downstream ecosystems for decades in the Canadian Rockies. In Environmental Pollution 344

3. Card, S. et. al. (2005). The Micronutrient and Trace Element Status of Crops Grown on the Alberta Soil Quality Benchmark Sites. (https://open.alberta.ca/publications/micronutrient-trace-element-status-crops-grown-alberta-soil-quality-benchmark-sites) Eddy, L. (2025). Will Grassy Mountain coal harm one of the top agricultural food production areas on the continent? (https://waterforfood.substack.com/p/will-grassy-mountain-coal-harm-one?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web_)

4. Boame, A., Parsons, W., & Trant, M. (2004). Mad cow disease and beef trade: An update(https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-621-m/11-621-m2004010-eng.htm)

5. Wiebe, S. (2024). Contamination of Elk Valley drinking water indicates spread of selenium pollution (https://wildsight.ca/2024/08/15/contamination-of-elk-valley-drinking-water-indicates-spread-of-selenium-pollution/)

6. McKenzie, R.H. (2025). Selenium sits on thinnest line between health and hazard. In Grainews (https://www.grainews.ca/columns/selenium-sits-on-thinnest-line-between-health-and-hazard/)

Cooke, C.A. (2024). Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Contaminates Snowpack across a Broad Region. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11223467/pdf/es4c02596.pdf)

7. Petryshen, W. (2023). Spatial distribution of selenium and other potentially toxic elements surrounding mountaintop coal mines in the Elk Valley, British Columbia, Canada.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402304450X/pdfft?md5=40ae2072397d030e8811798a225e34bd&pid=1-s2.0-S240584402304450X-main.pdf)

8. Hendryx, M. & Hendryx, M.M. (2009). Mortality in Appalachian Coal Mining Regions: The Value of Statistical Life Lost (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2693168/pdf/phr124000541.pdf)

9. Fitch, L., Kneteman, J., Quinlan, R., & Sterling, G. (2021). Insights on Coal Development from Five Retired Fish and Wildlife Biologists: Submission to the Alberta Coal Policy Committee.

10. Kuchapski, K.A. (2008). Effects of selenium and other surface coal mine influences on fish and invertebrates in Canadian Rockies streams.(https://opus.uleth.ca/items/89ef9b12-d803-41c2-9b27-541a28f13d11)

Kuchapski, K.A. & Rasmussen, J.B. (2015). Food chain transfer and exposure effects of selenium in salmonid fish communities in two watersheds in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.(https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfas-2014-0484)

Hamilton, S.J. (2004). Review of selenium toxicity in the aquatic food chain (https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/documents_staticpost/cearref_16259/MK-PRO-0023.pdf)

11. Winter, J. et al. (2021). A Multiple Account Benefit-Cost Analysis of Coal Mining in Alberta. In The School of Public Policy Publications 14:32 (https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/EFL53_Coal-Mining_Winter-et-al.pdf)

12. Report of the Joint Review Panel, Benga Mining Limited, Grassy Mountain Coal Project. (https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/document/139408?culture=en-CA)

13. Anderson, D. (2024). There’s new data on Alberta’s massive oil and gas cleanup problem. Here’s what you need to know. The Narwhal (https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-regulator-liabilities-report/)

14. Winter, J. et al. (2021). A Multiple Account Benefit-Cost Analysis of Coal Mining in Alberta. In The School of Public Policy Publications 14:32 (https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/EFL53_Coal-Mining_Winter-et-al.pdf)

15. Metallurgical Coal Financing: Time to Call it Off. (https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Reclaim_Finance_Metallurgical_Coal_November_2023.pdf)

Agora Industry (2023). 15 Insights on the Global Steel Transformation. (https://www.agora-industry.org/fileadmin/Projekte/2021/2021-06_IND_INT_GlobalSteel/A-EW_298_GlobalSteel_Insights_WEB.pdf)

Masterson, M., Wright, L, & Gamage, C. (2025). Zeroing in on Steel Sector Emissions for Market Transformation(https://rmi.org/zeroing-in-on-steel-sector-emissions-for-market-transformation/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=spark&utm_content=spark&utm_campaign=2025_01_23&utm_term=title-3)

International Energy Agency (2023). World Energy Outlook (https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/66b8f989-971c-4a8d-82b0-4735834de594/WorldEnergyOutlook2023.pdf)

16. Metallurgical Coal Financing: Time to Call it Off. (https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Reclaim_Finance_Metallurgical_Coal_November_2023.pdf)

17. International Energy Agency (2021). Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. (https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/deebef5d-0c34-4539-9d0c-10b13d840027/NetZeroby2050-ARoadmapfortheGlobalEnergySector_CORR.pdf)