Photo by Gerold Hinzen on Unsplash

The Australians are proposing multiple open-pit mines stretching from Crowsnest Pass north into the Oldman River watershed and deep into ranching country, where native fescue grasslands drape rolling hills along the Cowboy Trail.

The area to be mined, home to grizzly bears, elk and mountain sheep, would be carved into a landscape much like the Elk Valley on the B.C. side of the Rockies. The five open-pit mines operated there by Vancouver-based Teck Resources have contaminated local and U.S. waterways with toxic selenium. Teck has leases in the region that cover 340 square kilometres.

Now the Australians propose to double that mining footprint on the Alberta side of the mountains.

Rinehart, in her book titled From Red Tape to Red Carpet and Then Some, argues that governments need to dump regulations, lower taxes and roll out the red carpet for miners in order to “create, innovate, prosper and have an exciting future.”

Grassy Mountain, owned by Riversdale Resources, was bought by Gina Rinehart for $740 million as part of her vast mining and ranching empire: Hancock Prospecting in 2019.

Source: The Australian Invasion: Big Coal’s Plans for Alberta | The Tyee

This may be looking riskier for Australian coal mines in Alberta. China is stepping up their game on climate change.

It is critically important for Australian industries and policymakers to assess the seriousness of China’s pledge and the likelihood it will be delivered. Investment plans for large mining projects should then be reconsidered accordingly. [Read more]