Navigating Conflict and Contention in Coal Country: The Case of Grassy Mountain Mine

Abstract

Although oil and gas overshadow coal mining in conversations about fossil fuels, coal still plays a significant role in Alberta’s culture, economy, and energy supply. In some pockets of Alberta, coal mining is central to local communities and their future aspirations. This study uses a case study of the proposed but denied Grassy Mountain mine, and the associated Impact Assessment (IA), to understand the context of decision-making around coal mines in Alberta. After reviewing the literature on IA and my research methods in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 offers an analysis of one Blackfoot organization, the Mountain Child Valley Society (MCVS), frames the project in Blackfoot perspectives and oral history. MCVS members opposed their leadership’s support for the project and utilized strategies outside the formal IA process to influence decision-making about the mine. This case highlights how community members make their voices heard independent of formal processes. Chapter Three then demonstrates how sense of place and environmental values interact with contextual factors to shape attitudes toward resource development. Looking at these nuances broadens our understanding of resource development disputes, demonstrating what is at stake beyond jobs versus the environment tensions. Although scholars have dealt with the shortcomings of IAs extensively, Chapter 4 contributes to the seldom considered risks of IAs outside of project-related impacts. Potential impacts include weakening of community cohesion, reduced feelings of safety, polarization, anxiety, and reduced trust in formal regulatory processes and governments. The focus on technoscientific approaches exacerbates tensions while understating the social impacts. In this case, the IA will have lasting impacts on individuals and communities, with broad implications for the legitimacy of environmental decision-making structures moving forward.