'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
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.