Environmental group opposes coal pit application until wastewater probe is complete
Global News
An environmental group says a coal company's application to deepen its open-pit mine shouldn't be considered while it's under investigation over wastewater releases.
An environmental group says a coal company’s application to deepen its open-pit mine shouldn’t be considered while it’s under investigation over wastewater releases into local rivers.
The Alberta Wilderness Association says CST Canada Coal in Grande Cache, Alta., must prove it can operate safely before the provincial regulator looks at its request.
“Prior to any decisions on this application, the (association) respectfully requests (the Alberta Energy Regulator) complete the outstanding investigations of CST Canada’s operations and management,” the group says in a statement to the regulator.
CST Canada Coal operates open-pit coal mines in Grande Cache, about 430 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. In October, it applied for permits to deepen two of its pits by 155 and 210 metres.
An approval would extend the mine’s life by allowing it to reach about 3.3 million tonnes of steelmaking coal, company documents say.
But the wilderness association points out that three times within the last year, the CST mine has released large volumes of coal wastewater into the environment.
On Dec. 29, 2022, more than 100,000 litres of coal wash water were released. On March 4, 2023, 1.1 million litres of tailings escaped into the Smoky River. And on June 19, heavy rains and regional flooding led to the release of an unknown amount of wastewater.
Coal wastewater frequently contains selenium, a substance toxic to fish.
