Canadian country music star spurs unlikely coalition against coal
TORONTO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – With hits that celebrate oil workers, Canadian country rocker Corb Lund might not be an obvious choice as a campaigner against fossil fuel expansion.
But the star has taken on an unexpected role as a leader of efforts to stop new open pit coal mines in the Rocky Mountains.
Alberta, dubbed “Canada’s Texas” for its petroleum industry and conservative political culture, has been hit by the cancellation of the planned Keystone XL pipeline to the US.
Now it is looking to expand coal mining in the Rocky Mountain foothills – but Lund has helped pull together an unlikely coalition including ranchers, rural landowners, indigenous groups, urban environmentalists and some oil industry workers.
“This isn’t a Left-Right issue.
This issue seems to be resonating across the political spectrum,” Lund told Thomson Reuters Foundation. “It has been moving to see, in these super divided times, people agree on something.”
Lund, a sixth-generation southern Alberta rancher as well as an award-winning musician, says digging for more coal in the Rockies – the postcard image of Western Canada – doesn’t make sense.
“I am biased because I am from this area. But I have traveled a lot in my career as a musician and I haven’t seen anything as beautiful,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to rip up our mountains and poison our water for something already in production in other places.”
Lund is not a climate activist – “for me, it’s more about the water or the landscape than climate change,” he said. But “I can’t imagine coal being a positive for the climate.”
Supporters of new coal mines there argue they will create jobs and tax income and can be operated in a sustainable manner. But critics say it will permanently destroy the picturesque area. They also worry chemicals used in the extraction process, including selenium, will poison the province’s ever-scarcer water resources.
Alberta’s Department of Energy, the body responsible for approving new mining permits, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The campaign, featuring images of ranchers riding their horses through rivers in the shadow of the mountains and traversing grassy valleys, has helped rally to the cause local people who might not normally take an interest.
Lund’s decision to join the campaign changed that, Bobbi Lambright of the Livingstone Landowners Group, an organization opposed to open-pit coal
mining, said.
“When Corb became aware and started putting facts out on social media, people started to pay attention.”
Alberta’s government opened parts of the eastern Rockies to coal exploration in May 2020,
rescinding a decades-old prohibition. Coal companies then began applying for leases and exploring for deposits.
Between June 2020 and Feb. 2021, 169 leases were issued, said Katie Morrison, an official with the Canadian Parks and
Wilderness Society in Alberta.
“The government, I think, misjudged Albertans on this when it comes to these really special places and our water,” Morrison said.
Following a public outcry, the government started public consultations in March and later suspended exploration on some land as comments poured in.
A few firms still have permits for mining but are not actively exploring while consultations are underway, Morrison said.
Lund’s involvement has made it easier for people who were concerned about coal mining but didn’t feel comfortable speaking publicly to take a stand, she said, noting she “really saw a change” after he became involved.
But some have been critical. “While I like and enjoy your music, I do not agree with you on this,” wrote fan Jason Thornhill. “Many families are counting on these mines to contribute to their survival.”
In response to public opposition, Alberta officials have created a committee to make recommendations to the government on use of the coal, with a final report due in November.
“The protection of our lands and water remains of critical importance as we develop our natural resources,” the province’s energy and environment ministries said in a statement last month, as they canceled one coal mining project.
Lund called the dropping of that Grassy Mountain project “a major victory,” though stressed the campaign is far from over.
In its decision, the government cited concerns from regulators about protection of water quality and fish habitat.
“All proposed coal projects are subject to stringent review to ensure development is safe, environmentally responsible and meets all requirements,” the statement noted.