28 December 2009
Donkin exemption not in the cards
Cape Breton Post Editorial

The Nova Scotia government isn’t going to budge on new atmospheric pollution cap in hopes of accelerating the start of the Donkin coal mine. That is the right position. Calls on government for a temporary exemption for Donkin are a weak political gesture.

New, lower emission caps taking effect Jan. 1 were cited at a Dec. 17 public meeting in Donkin as the reason Nova Scotia Power isn’t interested in buying raw coal that would be extracted in an evaluation phase, lasting about three years, for the proposed mine. Only after that would the project be approved for full development by Australia-based Xstrata and partner Erdene Resource Development Corp., based in Halifax. The full project would include a rail line to Sydney harbour and a wash plant at the pit head that would lower the content of polluting chemicals such as mercury and sulphur in the saleable coal. But in the meantime, the several million tonnes of coal extracted in the evaluation phase would be quite dirty by the benchmarks that regulated utilities such as NSP are looking for now as they try to squeeze under falling emissions caps.

Xstrata’s position is that it can’t proceed with the next phase of the mine start-up until it has sale for the raw coal. NSP is firm that it can’t look at raw coal with new caps coming (and there are no promises on washed coal either), while Andrew Murphy, manager of the provincial environment department’s air quality branch, says the province has no intention of easing the regulations.

Progressive Conservative MLA Alfie MacLeod (Cape Breton West), supported by District 2 Councillor Kevin Saccary, proposes a four-year regulatory exemption that would allow NSP to burn Donkin’s raw coal. MacLeod neglects to mention that the new caps on pollutants such as sulphur and mercury were in fact scheduled by a PC government in September 2007. That decision to adopt the national standards for power plants included a commitment to cut mercury emissions by 70 per cent within three years.

Much of the environmental attention on coal has shifted to greenhouse gases released in burning it, principally carbon dioxide, but the Jan. 1 caps pertain more to older concerns – sulphur, which contributes to acid rain, and mercury, a dangerous toxic that disperses through the food chain. While climate issues remain contentious and unsettled, the science on acid rain and the dangers of mercury is no longer controversial.

It’s a long, hard slog to make progress on these issues. Backtracking just isn’t in the cards.

Some wonder whether Cape Breton should even be pursuing a new undersea mine when coal is anathema to environmentalists the world over and when many governments are tightening emissions standards for power plants. But while coal is under pressure it is far from dead, and if Xstrata can make money mining it at Donkin, Cape Breton has as much right as any jurisdiction to reap the benefit. However, Cape Bretoners should not be asked to oppose sound environmental policies for the privilege of getting some jobs.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Power company rejects Cape Breton coal
CBC News

Nova Scotia Power is refusing to buy coal from Cape Breton, dashing hopes for a local coal mine under development.

Rob Bennett, president and CEO of Nova Scotia Power, said coal from the island has higher levels of sulphur and mercury, making it unsuitable as the utility tries to meet tougher environmental standards.

"It's very difficult to integrate into our existing plans and meet the ever-tightening guidelines that we have. We've committed to reducing our emissions, so it eliminates the immediate use of Cape Breton coals at this point," he told CBC News.

The development of the Donkin coal mine is stalled as the owner looks for a buyer for the ore.

Last week, an official with Xstrata Coal said it made sense to sell coal to Nova Scotia Power, which burns coal at its four generating plants.

The MLA for the area, Alfie MacLeod, said he asked the provincial government to exempt the utility from the rules for four years so the region can benefit from the hundreds of jobs a new mine would bring.

Nova Scotia Power expects to burn less coal in the future, according to its latest plan. The utility said it would replace 10 per cent with waste wood, or biomass, but didn't plan to close its coal-fired plants.

18 December 2009
Donkin project on hold until buyer can be found
Cape Breton Post

DONKIN — A company seeking to reopen the Donkin mine still hasn’t found a buyer for the raw coal that would be extracted during an evaluation phase of the project.

During a presentation at the Donkin fire hall Thursday evening, an official with Xstrata Coal Donkin Management said project partners won’t begin the three-year, $110-million test phase unless they can sell the coal.

Project manager Val Istomin said several million tonnes of unwashed coal would be a byproduct of an ongoing pre-feasibility study to determine if the mine is economically viable.

If the mine proceeds, a wash plant would be set up to remove sulphur and other materials from the coal.

“We have everything in place other than approval from our company,” he said. “Our company’s position is that until such time as we can move the coal that comes out as a result of this exploration work, we really shouldn’t start it.”

Istomin believes a buyer will come forward due to the need for coal, but he said it’s not likely the company will have a contract agreement within the next three months. He added that the project has all of its regulatory approvals in place.

Donkin partners had hoped to sell their coal to Nova Scotia Power but new emissions regulations coming into to effect Jan. 1, 2010 have stifled the sale.

NSP spokesperson Jennifer Parker told the Cape Breton Post the company has no plans for the coal.

“We have been approached by the companies representing Donkin but we’ve made no commitments at this time,” she said.

Cape Breton West MLA Alfie MacLeod and District 2 Coun. Kevin Saccary said the province should lift their emission regulations on this particular coal for a four-year maximum test period.

MacLeod put forward a bill during the last sitting of the Nova Scotia legislature that would allow NSP to burn Donkin’s raw coal. He said the government must address the bill in the next session.

MacLeod said coal-burning companies such as NSP regularly burn a mixture of coal.

The project’s community liaison committee chair Hugh Kennedy said his group is concerned how NSP could burn the coal without producing harmful emissions at its generating stations, including the Lingan plant.

“One of the things we would be concerned about is, ‘OK, how do you burn this raw coal and (have) the least amount of impact on the environment?’” said Kennedy.

The Donkin mine project, which began in 2006, currently costs $350,000 a month in operating costs. The project is a partnership of Xstrata, which is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, and Halifax’s Erdene Resource Development Corp., a Halifax company, which has a 25 per cent stake.

23 December 2009
Families fed up
Launch lawsuit against strip mine as “nuisance”
Pictou News

Two families in Stellarton are suing for damages against the STELLARTON – strip mine in the town.

Robin and Patricia Lloyd and Charles and Angeline Stewart are named as plaintiffs in the statement of claim filed with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court against the strip mine, owned by Pioneer Coal and Nova Construction. They are suing for nuisance.

Both couples have lived in their homes in the Evansville area, near the strip mine, since 1993. A close-knit community where families have raised their children for generations, it’s been virtually replaced by the strip mine.

“The plaintiffs state that in or around January of 1994, the defendants commenced the operations of the strip mine in close proximity and adjacent to the plaintiffs’ homes,” states the claim prepared by lawyer Jamie MacGillivray. “The strip mine expanded in the proceeding years, removing more acres of earth, flora and fauna around and adjacent to the plaintiffs’ homes. The plaintiffs’ homes are at the present time almost surrounded by the strip mine.”

The families say the operation also produces excessive particulate matter, including coal dust, which damages their homes and diminishes property value.

The mine is operated in a way that also creates excessive noise, the statement claims.

“The defendants’ heavy equipment and machinery produced unreasonably excessive noise in consideration of the proximity of the plaintiffs’ homes to the strip mine,” the statement notes. “The strip mine causes vibrations throughout the plaintiffs’ homes.”

The plaintiffs are also fearful of the potential harmful health effects caused from this exposure to the particulate matter. The Lloyds and the Stewarts say these actions by the defendants constitute an unreasonable and substantial interference with their ordinary use and enjoyment of their homes for the tort of nuisance.

“Our office will be taking steps to try and assess the impact of this operation on the community as a whole,” MacGillivray said. “The strip mine was expanded in recent years and is now less than one half a mile from G.R. Saunders Elementary School. We are going to access the Provincial Department of Environment records to determine what the province is doing to protect the community.”

The two couples are seeking damages for the diminution of their property; the replacement costs for damages to their property and general damages.

The companies will be served within the next few days and will have 20 days to respond.

Concurrent Reclamation Practices at the Point Aconi Surface Coal Mine
Dan Khan, Paul White and Helen MacLeod

Pioneer Coal Limited has operated several surface coal mines in Nova Scotia during the past three decades. This presentation will focus on current reclamation practices being employed at the Point Aconi Reclamation Mining project where remaining near-surface coal resources are being recovered following the closure of the underground Prince Mine and in areas of past “bootleg” (illegal) mining. The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources has undertaken a study to improve reclamation results at surface coal mines. The Surface Coal Mine Reclamation Enhancement Initiative was announced in April 2006 and the committee overseeing the project has initiated research to increase benefits related to lands reclaimed following surface coal mining.

Some of the ideas and methods developed through the DNR committee work are now being applied at the Pioneer Coal project in Point Aconi. DNR and Pioneer Coal are collaborating by documenting procedures being used at the mine and the results gained from the work will be shared with the committee. Vegetation surveys are being conducted to assess the results of current work, which may be compared to previous reclamation results.