Moratorium On Coal in Alberta Removed, Quietly Announced in the Middle of Grassy Mountain Mine Hearings  

Edmonton/Calgary, AB | 20 January, 2025 – The Alberta Minister of Energy and Minerals has directed the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) to remove the moratorium on coal mine development and exploration across the Rocky Mountains and Eastern Slopes that has been in place since early 2022.  

CPAWS Northern and Southern Alberta are deeply disappointed to learn that the moratorium on coal exploration and development has been removed. This fails tens of thousands of Albertans who have said no to coal, and further puts our land, water, wildlife, and communities at risk.  

The moratorium was implemented in response to tremendous public pushback against new coal mine exploration and development in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes and was meant as an interim measure until a new coal policy was created. No such coal policy has been implemented, leaving Albertans to rely on the 1976 Coal Policy while the industry-led Coal Industry Modernization Initiative (CIMI) is developed.  

What does this mean? Coal exploration projects in land categories 2, 3 and 4 — areas that cover nearly the entirety of the Eastern Slopes outside of parks and protected areas — can advance immediately. It also nullifies the question of ‘advanced’ projects, and whether or not Grassy Mountain was exempt. 

“This confirms fears that the Coal Industry Modernization Initiative (CIMI) will serve to cater to the coal industry. It also disregards the results of the 2021 Coal Policy public engagement, which showed that 70% of Albertans oppose any new coal exploration or mine development anywhere in the province,” notes Tara Russell, Program Director at CPAWS Northern Alberta.  

Removing the moratorium means that new coal mine exploration and development on more than 188,000 hectares of leases could begin as early as this spring, and companies are already being notified that their exploration permits are no longer paused and are once more active. 

This renews, and makes it even more urgent, the threat of serious and unavoidable environmental risks presented by multiple proposed mine projects across the eastern slopes such as Cabin Ridge in Southern Alberta, and the Blackstone coal project in the Bighorn Backcountry in the area around Rocky Mountain House. 

The ministerial direction was quietly given last week during the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) Grassy Mountain Public Hearing, but was only publicly posted to the AER’s website today, January 20. Notably, removing the moratorium removes the barriers of no new exploration as outlined in the 2022 Ministerial Order, including Northback’s exploration application on Grassy Mountain, currently within the regulatory process.  

“This is a profoundly short-sighted and irresponsible decision by the Minister of Energy and Minerals that puts the health, future and prosperity of Alberta, and our communities, at grave risk. We will be fiercely opposing this new direction – and we know we won’t be alone. Albertans have fought this fight before and won,” concludes Katie Morrison, Executive Director at CPAWS Southern Alberta.

For more information, contact: 

Katie Morrison, Executive Director, CPAWS Southern Alberta
[email protected] 

Tara Russell, Program Director, CPAWS Northern Alberta
[email protected]