'The report is pretty damning': Livingstone landowners urge government to heed coal impact study
The Livingstone Landowners Group says it hopes the Alberta government and province's coal consultation committee will heed the findings of a new report that recommends coal mining in the headwaters of the Oldman River not proceed.
“What this is demonstrating is one coal mine is a problem. Two coal mines are a bigger problem,” said LLG Secretary Bobbi Lambright.
“And if we got more coal mines, then you’ve got a huge problem,”
The study, conducted by scientists and ecologists with the Alces Group, an environmental consulting company, concluded new coal mines on the Eastern Slopes would have a significant and irreversible impact on the Oldman River watershed.
It determined the mines would create environmental liabilities that exceed their economic benefits.
Lambright said the research confirms the concerns already raised by ranchers and other landowners in southwestern Alberta.
“We really feel strongly that this kind of an analysis should have been done before the government even considered changing anything to do with coal,” added Lambright.
“The fact that it wasn’t done meant there has been a lot of conflicting discussion about the consequence of mining.”
Eastern slopes of the Rockies
The study concluded the eight proposed coal mining projects with leases in the Oldman River watershed will replace entire mountains with 92 square kilometers of open pit mines and rock waste piles.
“Once it’s in its going to be very difficult to get it out,” said Brad Stelfox, lead author of the report.
He said there’s one opportunity for the province to have a full and important conversation about coal mining before the approvals are given.
“And I don’t think the magnitude, the comprehensiveness of this work has yet happened.”
The report included a number of key findings re-enforcing concerns over the impact on the quality and quantity of water in the region.
Based on current coal mining experiences and modeling into the future, the report found no evidence industry could capture enough selenium to meet water quality standards for protection of aquatic life.
USING SIGNIFICANT WATER
According to the report, when fully developed the mines would be using a significant volume of water; equal to about 27 per cent of the water currently being used to raise the 1.1 million cattle in the watershed.
The study concluded that during drought years some junior water rights holders may not receive their full allocation.
According to the report any further consumption by mining will exacerbate water conflicts and may result in additional water shortages.
“They’ve raised some valid concerns about water use and water quality that can’t be ignored,” said retired Fish and Wildlife Biologist Lorne Fitch, who is on the LLG advisory committee.
“These are the sort of questions that the government of Alberta should have answered before leaping into coal development."
'AN UNCERTAIN BUSINESS'
The study also described mine reclamation as “an uncertain business” and pointed out that as Alberta’s Auditor General has noted, the provincial government does not have a credible mine security bond program.
According to the report, “Our simulation estimates suggest that only 25 per cent of the disturbed mine area in the Oldman River Watershed will be reclaimed by the end of the 50 year study period, leaving a substantial reclamation bill for the future.”
In addition to recommending coal mining not proceed, the report also recommends the provincial and federal governments provide the following information to Albertans who depend on the watersheds for their drinking water.
· A cost benefit analysis of coking coal mines and their impacts on existing economies;
· A full study involving all land uses and natural disturbances in the Oldman River Watershed;
· A careful examination of water supply and demand dynamics through the lens of climate change;
· Quantification of background selenium levels in water and food chains of wildlife and livestock species;
· Comprehensive assessment of projected airborne emissions associated with coal projects; and
· Improved physiological understanding of how selenium and other elements affect invertebrate, vertebrate, and human health.
The Livingstone Landowners Group said it plans to present the findings to the province's coal consultation committee in July.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.