Ann: Trading Halt, page-6

It seems that it will very much depend upon the wording of the Policy.
There are a mix of comments to be found on line and I have extracted them mostly from a mix of press reports. See as follows.

Alberta Coal Policy reinstatement

Energy Minister Sonya Savage also issued a directive to the Alberta Energy Regulator so no mountaintop removal will be permitted and all of the restrictions under the 1976 coal categories are to apply, including all restrictions on surface mining in Category 2 lands.

Category 2 lands include parts of the southern Rocky Mountains and the foothills. All future coal exploration approvals on Category 2 lands will be prohibited pending widespread consultations on a new coal policy, the province said.

“Not only we will reinstate the full 1976 coal policy, we will implement further protections and consult with Albertans on a new, modern coal policy. Alberta’s government is absolutely committed to protecting the majestic Eastern Slopes and the surrounding natural environment.”

Savage said there are currently six coal projects being explored on Category 2 lands, four of which began exploration under the 1976 coal policy. Two applications were approved after the 1976 coal policy was rescinded.

“It’ll be up to companies to determine how they manage their coal exploration programs. We don’t intend to remove approvals that were already granted by the regulator.”

In response to concerns raised by Albertans about potential coal development on sensitive lands, we have reinstated the 1976 Coal Policy, including the 4 coal categories, as of February 8, 2021. Coal categories dictate where and how coal leasing, exploration and development can occur.

We are also reinforcing restrictions by providing specific direction to the Alberta Energy Regulator.

• No mountain-top removal will be permitted and all of the restrictions under the 1976 coal categories are to apply, including all restrictions on surface mining in Category 2 lands.
• All future coal exploration approvals on Category 2 lands will be prohibited pending widespread consultations on a new coal policy.

Coal lease sales on Category 2 lands remain paused.

All existing laws and regulations relating to coal development remain in place and unchanged. All coal development projects will continue to be considered through the existing rigorous Alberta Energy Regulator review process. This review is based on each project’s merits, including its economic, social and environmental impacts.

The categories are as follows:

• Category 1
  • National Parks, present or proposed Provincial Parks, Wilderness Areas, Designated Recreation Areas, Wildlife Sanctuaries, etc.
• Category 2
  • Parts of the southern Rocky Mountains and Foothills
• Category 3
  • Northern Forested Region and eastern portions of the Eastern Slopes
• Category 4
  • Areas of the province not covered in other 3 categories

According to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Albertagovernment’s January decision to pause future coal lease sales in formercategory 2 lands has no impact on 420,000 hectares of existing leases. Map:CPAWS

Which new mines are likely to open first?

The Grassy Mountain project, just north ofBlairmore, is one of the closest to becoming a reality.

If approved, it would see work resume on a previouslydisturbed mining site that was abandoned decades ago. This is a rare chunk offormer Category 4 land right in the Rocky Mountains, so it had fewerrestrictions in the past and was less affected by the removal of the coalpolicy.

The project was proposed back in 2013 and has been going throughregulatory processes for years.

As one of the final steps in that process, weeks of publichearings were held from October to December and a joint federal-provincialreview panel is now reviewing all the evidence before making a final decision.

There's another, similar project that could also be comingto the area relatively soon. Australia-based Montem Resources hopes to do moremining at TentMountain, just southwest of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass.

Several other companies also hold coal leases in this area,mostly on former Category 2 lands, with the largest being Atrum Coal,another Australian firm. It aims to complete a pre-feasibility study on one of its projectsin the region, dubbed Elan, later this year.

And all this is just what's going on in southern Alberta.

The largest chunk of former Category 2 land is actually incentral Alberta, where several companies are also moving forward with plans fornew mines.

One company, Valory Resources, recentlytold investors it now expects to be extracting coal from itsleaseholds near Rocky Mountain House by the first quarter of 2023.