Right now tens of thousands of hectares on the slopes and headwaters of the Rockies are at risk to open-pit coal mining for metallurgical coal.
We need you to call for a moratorium on open pit and mountaintop mining and protection of the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains to protect mountains, waters, wildlife, and to support Indigenous peoples’ calls for consultation and recognition of their rights.
Say NO to coal mining and YES to our conservation goals
If mined, the beautiful undisturbed Rockies will be forever altered for both wildlife and sustainable human use. Pristine alpine ecosystems are vital habitat ranges for keystone species like the grizzly bear, considered a species of concern. We need to be protecting their habitat, not further encroach on it through mining.
Say NO to coal mining and YES to pristine Rocky Mountains
With views often featured in iconic photographs of Canada, the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies provide places for people to interact with and learn about nature, relax and rejuvenate, and engage in recreational activities. Water and wildlife habitat are two key ecosystem services provided by these landscapes. Large tracts of land, away from human development, are spaces for wildlife to prosper. Protecting critical areas around glaciers and rivers ensures clean drinking water for downstream communities, not only in Alberta but also in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Say NO to coal mining and YES to safe clean water
Coal mining poses a risk of selenium pollution in the Prairie headwaters. Selenium, when released at elevated levels from mine waste, bioaccumulates in the food chain and can result in health impacts on fish and wildlife, And once released from coal waste rock into watercourses, there is no way to clean it up. The risk of polluting drinking water for Canadians, including communities downstream of the proposed mine sites, is not acceptable.
Mining requires a large amount of water. Balancing the needs of existing water license holders and aquatic environments is already tenuous for water-stressed Prairies. Adding mining projects in addition to the multiple stressors would increase stress during times of drought and does not account for impacts of climate change. There should be no special treatment for mining companies to change water allocations.
Say NO to coal mining and YES to upholding Indigenous rights and meeting the obligation to consult
Indigenous communities were not consulted on the rescinding of Alberta’s Coal Policy - which would enable mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies. Indigenous communities need to be full participants in reviewing, rejecting, or approving mining that would impact their traditional territories, sovereign lands and waters, and any other areas that hold significant cultural significance.
Say NO to coal mining and YES to our climate goals
We are told that most of the coal to be mined on the Eastern Slopes is destined for export to be used to make steel - not burned to generate electricity. Even so, the projects being proposed are energy-intensive industrial activities. From 1990 to 2018, Canada has released 49,735 kt of CO2 equivalent from coal mining operations from carbon dioxide and methane emissions, about the same emissions produced by driving 10 million gas-fueled cars for a year. Of this, Alberta contributed 9,515 kt of CO2 eq. - or about 20%. Massive projects being proposed will produce even greater GHG emissions. And, as with the recently shut Donkin coal mine in Nova Scotia, there is also a fear that mine will produce coal for electricity generation and incentivize continued reliance on coal.
Choose your legacy.