Permanent Coal Ban in Sensitive Eastern Slopes

Summary#

• This bill would restrict coal exploration and mining in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes to protect headwaters, wildlife habitat, and other land uses.

• It makes a permanent ban in the most sensitive mapped areas and pauses other coal activity until stronger land-use plans are created with broad public and Indigenous input.

• Permanently stops new coal leases and approvals in Category 1 and Category 2 areas of the Eastern Slopes (as mapped in Alberta’s 1976 Coal Policy).

• Puts a pause on coal activity in Category 3 and Category 4 areas until a new “enhanced regional plan” is made and in effect; after that, coal could only occur in areas that plan allows and under strict rules.

• Cancels most existing coal leases and approvals unless there is an actively operating coal mine or coal processing plant on that land (with tighter limits for Category 3 and 4 leases issued after May 1, 2020).

• Requires at least six months of consultation with Indigenous governments and peoples and with local residents, ranchers, farmers, tourism and recreation businesses, municipalities, and others.

• Orders the plan to set protected areas, any areas where coal might be allowed, hard limits on “linear disturbance” (roads and other straight cleared corridors), water-use rules, and a full cumulative effects framework for land, water, and air.

• Blocks lawsuits for damages over cancelled leases and approvals, but allows companies to seek compensation through the process in the Mines and Minerals Act.

What it means for you#

• Residents and downstream communities

  • Greater protection for source water from the Eastern Slopes, including the Oldman River watershed that supplies many towns and farms.
  • Fewer new industrial disturbances in popular mountain and foothills areas.

• Farmers, ranchers, and irrigators

  • Added safeguards for clean and reliable water for irrigation and livestock.
  • More certainty that new coal projects will not proceed in the most sensitive headwaters.

• Indigenous communities

  • Required “enhanced consultation” for no less than six months.
  • Space to share traditional ecological knowledge (with consent) and translation supports for elders.
  • Recognition of treaty rights and traditional activities in the area.

• Outdoor recreation and tourism businesses

  • More certainty that high-value recreation and tourism landscapes will be protected or carefully managed.
  • Less risk of new coal-related traffic, noise, and land fragmentation in banned areas.

• Coal workers and companies

  • Most exploration leases and approvals would be cancelled unless tied to an actively operating mine or processing plant.
  • No new coal in Category 1 and 2 areas, and a pause in Category 3 and 4 until new plans are in place and only if the plans allow it.
  • Lawsuits for damages over cancellations would be blocked, though compensation can be sought under existing provincial rules.

• Local governments in the Eastern Slopes

  • Required role in regional planning and subregional plans.
  • Longer timelines before any coal proposals could proceed in areas that are not permanently closed.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

• Protects drinking water for southern Alberta by preventing mining and exploration in key headwaters and setting strong water rules elsewhere.
• Gives clear, permanent protection to the most sensitive Eastern Slopes lands, while requiring science-based planning for the rest.
• Respects Indigenous rights and improves trust through lengthy, well-supported consultation and inclusion of traditional knowledge.
• Reduces wildlife habitat fragmentation by setting limits on roads and other linear disturbances.
• Provides certainty for ranching, farming, recreation, and tourism by prioritizing those values in land-use plans.

Opponents' View#

• Could reduce jobs, private investment, and local tax revenue in coal-dependent communities by cancelling leases and approvals.
• Limits future royalty and corporate tax income from coal, with unknown costs for planning, consultation, and possible compensation.
• Retroactive cancellations and the ban on lawsuits may undermine investor confidence and be seen as unfair.
• Uses old coal-category maps; critics may say these boundaries are outdated and overly broad.
• Lengthy planning and consultation steps could add red tape and delay other land uses or projects in the region.