Alberta regulator approves Northback coal exploration project in Rockies – CBC

May 15, 2025

Grassy Mountain project was initially rejected in 2021

The Alberta Energy Regulator approved on Thursday a controversial coal exploration project on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Northback Holdings Corp.’s project at Grassy Mountain was rejected in 2021, when a panel ruled likely environmental effects on fish and water quality outweighed potential economic benefits.

The project, located on an inactive legacy coal mine site in the Municipal District of Ranchland, was revived two years later. Last year, it was exempted from the Alberta government’s decision to ban open-pit coal mines, because Northback’s application was considered an “advanced” proposal.