Alberta regulator approves Northback coal exploration project in Rocky Mountains [Video]

The Alberta Energy Regulator approved on Thursday a controversial coal exploration project on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Northback Holdings Corp.’s project at Grassy Mountain was rejected in 2021, when a panel ruled likely environmental effects on fish and water quality outweighed potential economic benefits.

The project, located on an inactive legacy coal mine site in the Municipal District of Ranchland, was revived two years later.

Last year, it was exempted from the Alberta government’s decision to ban open-pit coal mines, because Northback’s application was considered an “advanced” proposal.

A written decision from the regulator says it determined approving the project is in the public interest and the project won’t have negative effects on water quality or wildlife, which many at public hearings argued will happen.

The decision grants Northback permits to drill and to divert water to the site, which was also a concern raised by farmers …