The Alberta Power Regulatory Authority (AER) launched on Friday its decision on the Northback Holdings applications for a coal expedition program, a deep drill license and a momentary diversion permit for the Grassy Hill coal job in the Crowsnest Pass area of southwestern Alberta.
The panel authorized Northback’s application, with problems, and discovered that the applications fulfilled all governing demands and remain in the general public passion.
The AER held a public dental hearing in the neighborhood of Pincher Creek in December 2024. An extension at AER’s Govier Hall in Calgary was assembled on January 14, 2025 and shutting debates were given on March 4, with individuals offering at the hearing.
The mine, initially enclosed 1983, has the capability to generate 4.5 million tonnes of steelmaking coal yearly and covers 2,800 hectares.
The job is being led by Northback Holdings, previously called Riversdale Resources and Benga Mining, and Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting is the parent company.
Very first suggested in 2019, the job encountered its initial obstacle after Alberta’s federal government rolled back 1970s-era restrictions on open-pit coal mining in 2020, as component of the district’s initiatives to increase an economic situation struck hard by the pandemic and diving oil costs.
In 2021, rural regulatory authorities ruled that the job was “not in the general public passion,” pointing out ecological threats, specifically problems over selenium contamination in regional rivers. That choice was supported by 3 different court judgments.
Regardless of these problems, Northback Holdings remained to promote the mine’s authorization, vowing to execute management and mitigation measures to deal with ecological threats, consisting of selenium discharge, throughout all stages of the job.
The complete written choice and records of the hearing are here.
发布者：Amanda Stutt，转转请注明出处：https://robotalks.cn/alberta-energy-regulator-approves-gina-rinehart-backed-grassy-mountain-coal-project/
