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2h ago

Elections Alberta Clears Corb Lund to Launch Petition to Ban New Coal Mines on Eastern Slopes

The campaign now has four months to collect roughly 178,000 signatures to trigger legislative action or a provincewide vote.

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Singer and Alberta farmer Corb Lund, centre, speaks to media on land proposed for coal mine development in the eastern slopes of the Livingstone range southwest of Longview, Alta., Wednesday, June 16, 2021.
Elections Alberta has approved a bid by country music singer Corb Lund to start collecting signatures for a petition to ask the province to pass a law banning new coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Overview

  • Corb Lund received official approval from Elections Alberta to begin a citizen-initiated petition seeking a law to prohibit new coal mining on Alberta’s eastern slopes.
  • If the signature threshold is met, the legislature must consider passing the ban or refer the question to voters across the province.
  • Lund, a sixth-generation Albertan rancher and longtime critic of mountain coal mining, cites protection of headwaters and downstream drinking water as key reasons for the effort.
  • Premier Danielle Smith signaled support for the right to citizen-initiated referenda and said she will watch the petition with interest.
  • Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean questioned the petition’s rationale and pointed to potential royalty revenue from metallurgical coal used in steel-making.