Water for Coal Developments: Where Will It Come From?
Water in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) – and especially within the Oldman River Basin – is in short supply.
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Water for Coal Developments: Where Will It Come From?
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Photo by Phil Whitehouse (CC BY 2.0)
The Government of Alberta (GoA) is hell-bent on facilitating the development of new coal mines in the Province. To that end, it purported to rescind the long-standing Coal Development Policy (CDP) of 1976 effective June 1, 2020. The CDP prevented development of coal resources in Category I lands on the eastern slopes of the Rockies and only permitted the development of new underground mines (rather than open-pit mines) in Category II lands (see Figure 1, below, also available here).
An application for judicial review of the decision to rescind the CDP is pending: Blades et al v Alberta.
Meanwhile, several new coal mining projects are at various stages of review. These projects include Riversdale/Benga’s Grassy Mountain Project currently under review by a joint review panel of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), Montem’s Tent Mountain Mine, Atrum’s Elan and Isolation Mines, and the Cabin Ridge Coal Project Ltd. (for further details see Oldman Watershed Council, Coal Mining in the Oldman Watershed, July 30, 2020).
These mines will all require approvals under the Coal Conservation Act, RSA 2000, c C-17 and other regulatory statutes, but they will also require something else – water. And water in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) – and especially within the Oldman River Basin – is in short supply. Indeed, the SSRB (with the exception of the Red Deer Basin) has long been considered to be over-allocated in terms of licensed appropriations and accordingly it (outside the Red Deer Basin) has been closed to new licence applications since 2007 (with some exceptions discussed below). In closing the basin, the GoA was giving effect to the terms of the approved Water Management Plan for the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB WMP).
Source: Water for Coal Developments: Where Will It Come From? |
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Mounties may have broken law during N.B. anti-fracking protests, says watchdog
Amanda Polchies of Elsipogtog First Nation
Some RCMP tactics during the 2013 anti-shale gas protests in New Brunswick may have broken the law, while other practices raise concerns about how Mounties conduct surveillance on protesters, according to an investigation by the force’s watchdog.
The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission released its final report this morning on how the RCMP responded to anti-fracking protests that erupted into a riot in the fall of 2013 near Elsipogtog First Nation in Kent County, N.B.
While the 200-plus-page report notes many officers acted reasonably, it flags deep-seated concerns with the way Mounties gather intelligence, restrict individuals’ movement during protests and approach Indigenous culture.
Source: Mounties may have broken law during N.B. anti-fracking protests, says watchdog | CBC News
Amanda Polchies of Elsipogtog First Nation
Amanda Polchies of Elsipogtog First Nation
I would like to introduce myself first. Hello my name is Amanda Polchies I am a Lakota Sioux and Mikmaq woman and I live in Elsipogtog First Nation.
I am the woman who knelt in the road with my feather and prayed in front of a line of armed RCMP officers. They were hired by SWN Resources to raid our peaceful camp on highway 134, just outside of Rexton New Brunswick.
October 17, 2013 started off with a call out on Facebook for help. The 134 highway camp had been raided and our Warriors had been arrested. The call out for help was clear. Everyone who could get to the camp should.
Videos emerged of armed RCMP and tactical armed force units pointing guns at women, our children and our elders with footage of attack dogs barking viciously wanting to be let lose on my people. I couldn’t watch anymore and knew I had to be there with my people. I heard the call out and I was going to answer. I didn’t know how I was going to help but I knew I needed to be there.
My head was pounding and I had a fever of 101 but I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I kissed my baby son. Told him I loved him and gave him a hug. He looked at me and smiled. I gave him to my sister in law and left. I jumped in my car with 3 others and we headed out.[Read more]
Elispogtog anti-fracking blockade had ‘violent Aboriginal extremists’ according to former RCMP intelligence analyst
Dec 02, 2020
Tim O’Neil was also the administrator an RCMP Facebook group that contained racist comments.
Watch the video
A former criminal intelligence analyst for the RCMP who reported that an energy project in New Brunswick was up against “violent Aboriginal extremists” was also the administrator of a Facebook group which featured current and former Mounties, at times, making racist and disparaging remarks about Indigenous Peoples.
For six years Tim O’Neil’s duties included putting together reports for the top brass at the RCMP on issues including threats to energy projects in Canada by Indigenous groups or environmental organizations.
One of these reports, Criminal Threats to the Canadian Petroleum Industry, which is available publicly, is a criminal intelligence assessment report about the 2013 anti-fracking protests led by people in Elsipogtog First Nation near Rexton, New Brunswick.
Along with using the phrase “violent Aboriginal extremists,” O’Neil’s 2014 report also uses wording that includes “criminal intentions of the eco-extremists and violent rhetoric.
“Analysis of existing intelligence and open source reporting indicates that violent Aboriginal extremists are using the internet to recruit and incite violence and are actively engaging in direct physical confrontation with private company officials” says the report under the “Aboriginal Opposition” heading. [Read more]
Mountaintop coal mine hearings to begin amidst fears of pollution, development rush
Grassy Mountain, Alberta — THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Riversdale
And the Oldman Watershed Council has pointed out that the river is the water supply for 90 per cent of people downstream.
“Southern Alberta does not have alternative rivers or lakes to draw water from,” the council said in its submission to the hearing. “The Oldman River is the only option for us and so we are particularly vulnerable to upstream contamination.”
Selenium isn’t the only concern. Ian Urquhart of the Alberta Wilderness Association said the project would reduce habitat for one of the last pure populations of native westslope cutthroat trout, a threatened species.
“We already know the current level of habitat is insufficient. With this project, we’re talking about a permanent loss of in-stream habitat and a promise that somehow we’re going to compensate for this and make it better.”
Related
- Grassy Mountain Coal Project Public Hearings to begin on October 27, 2020
- Saying no to a coal comeback: The Vista coal mine
- Selenium’s coal mining impact on the environment
Fifth of countries at risk of ecosystem collapse, analysis finds
“A staggering fifth of countries globally are at risk of their ecosystems collapsing due to a decline in biodiversity and related beneficial services,” said Swiss Re, one of the world’s biggest reinsurers and a linchpin of the global insurance industry.
The UN revealed in September that the world’s governments failed to meet a single target to stem biodiversity losses in the last decade, while leading scientists warned in 2019 that humans were in jeopardy from the accelerating decline of the Earth’s natural life-support systems. More than 60 national leaders recently pledged to end the destruction.
The Swiss Re index is built on 10 key ecosystem services identified by the world’s scientists and uses scientific data to map the state of these services at a resolution of one square kilometre across the world’s land. The services include provision of clean water and air, food, timber, pollination, fertile soil, erosion control, and coastal protection, as well as a measure of habitat intactness.
Those countries with more than 30% of their area found to have fragile ecosystems were deemed to be at risk of those ecosystems collapsing. Just one in seven countries had intact ecosystems covering more than 30% of their country area.
Source: Fifth of countries at risk of ecosystem collapse, analysis finds | Biodiversity | The Guardian