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Kevin Van Tighem joins the Daveberta Podcast to discuss one of the biggest issues in Alberta politics today – the expansion of open-pit coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Kevin explains how the 1976 Coal Policy protected larges swaths of the Rocky Mountains from open-pit coal mining and the impact these large scale industrial projects would have on local wildlife habitat, local economies, and the water that millions of Albertans depend on.
We discuss the influence of mining companies over the Alberta government, the reasons why Energy Minister Sonya Savage rescinded the policy last spring, and what kind of improvements could be included in a new coal policy.
Kevin Van Tighem is a conservationist, former Superintendent of Banff National Park, and author whose books include Our Place: Changing the Nature of Alberta. You can read his columns in AlbertaViews Magazine.
The Daveberta Podcast is hosted by Dave Cournoyer and produced by Adam Rozenhart.
The Daveberta Podcast is a member of the Alberta Podcast Network: Locally grown. Community supported. The Alberta Podcast Network includes dozens of great made-in-Alberta podcasts.
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Recommended Reading
- Who opposes Kenney’s decision to allow open-pit coal mining in Alberta’s Rockies? Basically everybody. (Daveberta.ca, Feb. 5, 2021)
- The Truth, the Coal Truth, and nothing but the Truth (Daveberta.ca, Feb. 2, 2021)
- Bringing Coal Back (CBC Interactive Feature, July 7, 2020)
- Alberta is planning new mountaintop-removal coal mines. Here’s what that looks like (The Narwhal, Dec. 20, 2020)
- Alberta’s ‘back door’ plan to free up billions of litres of water for coal mines raises alarm (The Narwhal, Feb. 1, 2021)
- Months Before Albertans Were Told, Australian Miners Knew Plans to Axe Coal Policy (TheTyee, Jan. 29, 2021)
- ‘It’s sickening’: Future generation worried about inheriting legacy of coal mining (Global News, Feb. 4, 2021)
- Changes to Alberta coal policy coming next week after province-wide outrage (Global News, Feb. 5, 2021)
- Alberta faces backlash after move to scrap coal policy, ease restrictions on mining (Globe & Mail, Jan. 24, 2021)
- ‘Morally and ethically wrong:’ Court to hear challenge to Alberta coal policy removal (CBC, Jan. 17, 2021)
- Alberta defends decision to allow for open-pit coal mining in Rocky Mountains (CBC, Jan. 19, 2021)
8 replies on “Episode 68: The 1976 Coal Policy and stopping open-pit mining in Alberta’s Rockies”
Open pit mining is not good for any place in the world. Our politicians need and have to stop this dangerous way of making money. It is 2021 – move forward with better ways to make money and stop polluting the atmosphere, destroying the wildlife, the beauty of the landscape snd human’s drinking water. Grow up, use some wisdom.
Don’t hold your breath here. The UCP aren’t stopping this, no matter what propaganda they are feeding Albertans. The UCP are merely pausing their decision not to allow open pit coal mining in the Rockies. The UCP will continue on, after Albertans get distracted from something else. Mark my words. The UCP are as dishonest as a political party can be.
Further showing the communist views of this blog. Bought for and paid by the unions.
The historic spirit of the great Joe McCarthy lives!
Joe McCarthy: Where is the communism here? The UCP is as dishonest as a political party can be. Keep on believing the false notion that exposing the UCP’s known dishonesty, corrupt nature, disdain for democracy, and wasting very big sums of money on shenanigans is good, even though it isn’t. Past the mid to late 1980s, Alberta never had a good, or honest conservative government. Keep on believing that unions are buying and paying people who show the truth about how bad the UCP really are. No matter how much money the UCP manage to burn, it’s all good and well, right?
Should say isn’t good, even though it is.
Joe, stop using Facebook as your source. Educate yourself on the definition of communism, then reevaluate and see how your nonsensical comment doesn’t apply.
On Spotify this episode is only a minute twenty. Something go sideways with the upload?
Strange. Thanks for letting us know. We’ll look into it.