Country singer Corb Lund relaunches provincewide petition to ban new coal mining in Alberta's eastern slopes

https://www.waternotcoal.ca/

Your friendly reminder that Corb Lund’s petition is still going, and check to see if there’s a petition station near you.

Lund said opponents of the Grassy Mountain and Blackstone projects worry they would affect the quality of drinking water from the Oldman and North Saskatchewan rivers due to their respective locations.

A peer-reviewed study published last year found contamination from old coal mines in Alberta had been polluting nearby bodies of water, negatively impacting water quality and aquatic ecosystems.

“It’s already in the sensitive area,” Lund said, referring specifically to the Grassy Mountain project. “There’s already been legacy mining up there decades ago, and there’s already an overwhelming amount of selenium in some of the lakes up there, so the economics of the thing don’t make sense and the conservation elements of it certainly don’t make sense.”

Country singer Corb Lund relaunches provincewide petition to ban new coal mining in Alberta's eastern slopes | CBC News

Coal development in Alberta remains a contentious subject, with a newly-relaunched citizen initiative petition by country singer Corb Lund calling for a ban on all new coal exploration and coal mining in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

CBC

Significant areas of the #EasternSlopes land were opened to coal leases, initiating a widespread response from concerned landowners, environmentalists, and #Indigenous communities. Due to public pressure, the 1976 #Coal #Policy was reinstated in early 2021 after cancelling eleven new coal leases. Four projects were exempted from the Ministerial order, two of which being Benga’s #GrassyMountain and Montem’s Tent Mountain coal projects.

2/14

#Alberta #CoalMines - excellent article on the almost certain destruction of our #waterquality in southern Alberta if the #GrassyMountain #CoalMine is allowed. #Selenium poisoning of our water just like in the #elk #River #ElkBasin British Columbia
I can’t stay silent about #GrassyMountain – and neither should you | Calgary Herald #ABPoli https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-i-cant-stay-silent-about-grassy-mountain-and-neither-should-you “The Grassy Mountain debate is a litmus test. By sidelining engineers in the decision-making process, #Alberta risks becoming a relic in a world demanding sustainable solutions. The engineering profession’s credibility is at stake. (1/3)
Opinion: I can’t stay silent about Grassy Mountain — and neither should you

Province's coal mine strategy relies on advice from boardroom CEOs and not expertise from engineers.

calgaryherald

“The thing is, people are rightly frightened & angry about the potential for poison in their water. The government did nothing to acknowledge or respond meaningfully to their concerns. Instead, it ridiculed them.”

https://albertapolitics.ca/2025/06/guest-post-by-bradley-lafortune-i-went-to-danielle-smiths-coal-town-hall-in-fort-macleod-and-heres-why-it-went-off-the-rails/ #abpoli #DanielleSmith #GrassyMountain

Guest post by Bradley Lafortune: I went to Danielle Smith’s Coal Town Hall in Fort Macleod and here’s why it went off the rails - Alberta Politics

On June 11, more than 500 people showed up in Fort Macleod, near the site of the historic North West Mounted Police post about 170 kilometres south of Calgary, for a “Coal Town Hall” with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, three of her cabinet ministers, and the local UCP MLA. Alberta’s deep south is conservative country. […]

Alberta Politics

Hey! What are YOU doing Sunday in Calgary?

#G7 #yyc #ClimateChange #StopCoal #GrassyMountain

At a boisterous town hall, UCP coal mining plans clash with Alberta ranchers' water concerns

The Fort Macleod & District Community Hall was packed to capacity with nearly 500 people, with the premier and cabinet ministers facing near-constant jeers from a majority of attendees who came to express their frustrations with the Alberta government's decision to permit coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Canada's National Observer
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith faces raucous, angry town hall on province's coal policy | CBC News

About 500 people, dressed in cowboy hats, belt buckles, and jeans, packed a community hall in Fort Macleod, Alta., for an event marked by heckling, competing applause and placards.

CBC
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