Province set to release Rocky Mountain coal mining reports
Global News
Two reports on coal mining in the Rockies are expected to be released with recommendations Friday.
The Alberta government says it will release two reports on coal mining in the Rocky Mountains Friday.
The reports come after nine months of work from a five-member panel that consulted widely across the province.
The panel held 67 sessions with more than 70 groups and received 176 written submissions.
The submissions and a survey with about 25,000 respondents have already been made public and show Albertans have major concerns with open-pit coal mining in one of the province’s best-loved and most environmentally sensitive landscapes.
The government is also expected to release a second report with the panel’s recommendations on how the province should proceed.
Coal mining in the Rockies has been a hot topic in Alberta for two years, ever since the United Conservative government revoked a policy that had protected those summits and foothills since 1976.
Thousands of hectares were quickly leased for exploration, but a public outcry forced the government to halt those activities and pause lease sales until the panel reported.
