Alberta ministers to make announcement on coal mining

Alberta's energy and environment ministers will be announcing "the future of coal mining" in the province on Friday.

Alberta's energy and environment ministers will be announcing "the future of coal mining" in the province on Friday.

Brian Jean and Rebecca Schulz will be speaking at the McDougall Centre in Calgary at 9 a.m.

Details about the announcement are not yet known, but the province says it has to do with operations "in the foothills of Alberta."

Coal mining has been a controversial issue in recent years, especially for those who live in the Crowsnest Pass region.

Last month, residents in the area voted in a plebiscite to decide whether an application from Northback, an Australian mining company, to re-initiate coal mining operations on the eastern slopes of the Rockies should move forward.

The vote, which was not legally binding, was overwhelmingly in favour of Northback's proposal.

Opponents to the idea say coal mining will put critical water supplies at risk.