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Tuesday, April 4, 2006
A three-year moratorium will also be in place on another 13 potential coal lease sites from the former Devco lease. “We want to make sure we get this right so we’re stepping back and reviewing the situation. We’re going to closely scrutinize it,” said Natural Resources Minister Brooke Taylor, during a hastily called afternoon news conference in downtown Sydney. He was joined by Environment and Labour Minister Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, who toured the site in Point Aconi with Taylor earlier in the day. Members of Citizens Against Strip Mining, who were incidentally attending a Cape Breton Regional Municipality committee meeting at the Civic Centre next door at the time, were hot on the heels of the two cabinet ministers to get answers on their decision. However, they weren’t allowed access to the ministers and were forced to protest outside the Cambridge Suites hotel where the news conference was held. “This is insanity,” ranted Big Bras d’Or resident Scotty Main, who like many other residents, wants to stop any strip mining development from going ahead. Earl Cantwell, a spokesperson for CASM, said this was the government’s attempt to “divide and conquer” the anti-strip mining movement by freezing 13 leases, while still allowing Antigonish-based Pioneer Coal to proceed with its plans. He said, if anything, it has made the group more determined than ever to prevent strip mining altogether. It is looking at a ‘Plan B’ to get its message across to government officials. “The only thing we’ll mention on ‘Plan B’ is civil disobedience,” Cantwell said. “That’s blocking roads, doing whatever. But beyond that we can’t say anything.” Once Pioneer Coal receives industrial approval from the Department of Environment and Labour, it will have access to 288 hectares of land at the former Prince mine site. That could happen within the next two months. However that is only 58 per cent of the block originally tendered by the province. The remaining land won’t be open to strip mining. Pioneer Coal president John Chisholm couldn’t be immediately reached for comment on the province’s decision. Taylor said among numerous safety guidelines, the company must submit a “significant” reclamation bond to assure mitigation of the land will be completed. He said the province will work with Pioneer Coal to ensure the site is returned to its original state. And in cases where the land has been reclaimed and revegetation hasn’t been successful, a review will take place, Taylor added. “The days are over when a mining operation can open a surface mine, extract the resource, and then walk away without any accountability for the impact on the land.” As well, reclamation is expected to start as the site is mined for coal, Bolivar-Getson said. “Reclamation must begin while mining is still in progress so we’ll be able to monitor its success in a timely manner.” She did confirm the site includes about 18 hectares of wetlands which residents want protected. Pioneer Coal must manage issues concerning surface water, wildlife, wetlands and air quality, Bolivar-Getson noted. It was only last Wednesday while visiting Sydney that Premier Rodney MacDonald alluded to shrinking the size of the coal lease on Boularderie Island. The regional municipality, vehemently against this or any other potential strip mine, could be looking for a court injunction to stop the development, if council approves a motion by Mayor John Morgan. The mayor is expected to call an emergency meeting of council by next week where he’ll ask councillors to look at the prospect of retaining legal counsel with expertise in environmental law. Morgan said permitting Pioneer Coal to mine land in Point Aconi will only open the floodgate to other companies interested in strip mining in Cape Breton. “Once they establish that, at least in their minds, this type of activity becomes acceptable on Cape Breton Island,” Morgan said. |
Sydney - The province announced Monday it’s clawing back the size of a coal lease in Point Aconi by 40 per cent.
The decision will limit the ability of Pioneer Coal Ltd. from expanding beyond its current lease to strip mine for coal.