Grainswest - Fall 2025

Fall 2025 grainswest.com 31 webs and settles in sediments, and it can persist once it enters a headwater system. He also noted the ability to capture runoff is limited on large, disturbed rock areas in steep terrain. For irrigation users, the issue is whether small inputs accumulate over years at points that affect water supply. McKenzie shifted the lens to farmland. Irrigation applies water to soil every season. The agronomic questions that arise focus on cumulative loading of selenium in Prairie rotations, what remains in the root zone and what crops take up. The downstream analysis required to quantify impact would include intake measurements where districts divert water and trials that test soil accumulation and uptake for cereals, oilseeds and potatoes under typical schedules. In his rebuttal to McKenzie, Gilron emphasized regulatory frameworks and the principle that a guideline exceedance does not automatically imply risk. Gilron’s viewpoint depends on measurement of the right parameters at the right locations and on clear, irrigation specific triggers that lead to timely actions. Intake limits and the steps that would follow an exceedance have not appeared in public responses. Furthermore, the irrigation program has not produced selenium results since 2015. No Alberta-specific research links measurements to on-farm outcomes. For farmers, this is a planning problem. Water allocations, input purchases and delivery contracts are set well ahead of the growing season. If an intake crosses a limit, they need to know who must be notified, when diversions change and when service will resume. Without intake numbers and a published procedure, risk cannot be priced into rotations, contracts or contingency plans. The gaps are in regulatory clarity and understanding how selenium behaves under Prairie irrigation conditions. Fitch and McKenzie both agree more data is needed before any new mining on the Eastern Slopes is approved. This includes the publication of current selenium measurements at major irrigation intakes. Clear irrigation limits must be set and action protocol must be established in the event of an exceedance. As well, short trials must be funded to determine whether, under Prairie irrigation, low, chronic selenium amounts accumulate in soils or crops to levels of concern. Until such data exists, the debate about the potential effects of coal mining on agriculture downstream from the Eastern Slopes will remain ongoing. Addendum: As of GrainsWest press time, the Globe and Mail reported that Northback Holdings plans to submit a new Grassy Mountain mine proposal to the AER, with a smaller footprint, lower projected output and a new multi-tier water/ selenium management plan that includes placing waste back into the pit rather than into Gold Creek. The new submission will likely undergo AER review to determine whether the changes address concerns raised in the 2021 joint review panel decision. Grassy Mountain: A timeline 1910–1968: Underground coal mining operates intermittently in the Grassy Mountain area. Late 1940s–1960s: West Canadian Collieries develops a surface mine in Grassy Mountain north of Blairmore. 1969: A provincial report documents the Grassy Mountain strip mine as “abandoned for years” with “no reclamation … done” at that time. 2013: Riversdale/Benga acquires the Grassy Mountain property and coal leases from Devon Canada and Consol of Canada. March 19, 2015: AER issues final terms of reference for the project’s environmental impact assessment; the federal process also begins in March 2015. Aug. 16, 2018: A joint federal–provincial review panel is established to assess the project. Oct. 27, 2020 – Jan. 15, 2021: Public hearings conclude. June 17, 2021: Joint review panel releases its report and denies provincial applications, finding the project “not in the public interest.” Aug. 6, 2021: Federal government issues a decision statement that says the project cannot proceed due to possible significant adverse environmental effects. Dec. 20, 2024: Alberta announces the Coal Industry Modernization Initiative, banning new open-pit and mountaintop removal mines on the Eastern Slopes while allowing several “advanced projects” (including Grassy Mountain) to continue through regulatory processes. May 15, 2025: AER approves Northback Holdings’ coal exploration program, a deep drilling permit and a temporary diversion licence for the site.