Fort Macleod and district residents have a chance to comment on a proposed open pit coal mine near Coleman.
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada invites the public and Indigenous groups to review the summary of the initial project description and provide comments.
Montem Resources Alberta Operations Ltd. is proposing to restart and expand mining operations at the Tent Mountain Mine, an open-pit coal mine located 16 kilometres west of Coleman that stopped operating in 1983.
The Tent Mountain Mine project would expand the original mine pits to allow for the production of 4,925 tonnes per day of raw coal used for steelmaking, over a 14-year mine life.
The project would also include a coal handling and processing plant near the mining area and a rail loading facility located next to Highway 3.
The public can visit the project home page on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry (reference number 81436) to get more information on the project and submit comments.
All comments received will be published on-line as part of the project file.
This feedback will help the agency prepare a summary of issues and inform its decision as to whether this project requires an impact assessment.
Written comments will be accepted until Dec. 15.
People can also attend a virtual information session to learn more about the project, the impact assessment process and details on how to submit comments.
The sessions are Thursday, Dec. 2 from 2-3 p.m. and Tuesday, Dec. 7 from 7-8 p.m.
For more information about the sessions contact the agency at tentmountain@iaac-aeic.gc.ca
This is the first federal comment period for the project.
If the agency determines that an impact assessment is required, there will be additional opportunities to comment over the course of the process.
