Low reward, high risk

Dear Powers that Be,

Risk vs reward is the basis of many, if not most, decisions in business, government, household, and personal relams. When it comes to resource development, it is very important. There was a time when the rewards were the focus and the risks seemed so far into the future that they were not considered as much. We are living in that distant future now. Choices made in the past now have a huge impact on that risk vs reward assessment. The data is there. The cost on tourism, water quality, and downstream stress are clear. We need to know for sure that the rewards benefit all stakeholders - not just the shareholders.

The price of coking coal has been volitile at best and decreasing at worst: Average price of U.S. metallurgical coal export (https://www.eia.gov/coal/production/quarterly/pdf/t12p01p1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3ASt_O0VZVOR43_nJJMwv7vDkhABL2XBtSr5704SRPArlZ_QKvx-V-qMs). That’s the industry they are asking us to invest our future in. 

The lesson here: the only reason the Aussies are coming to Alberta is that we give away our First Nation’s land, water and future cheap enough for them to eek out profit even at these low prices.

We demand better:

- level playing field: wind and solar are not allowed on crown land nor should coal be.

- no subsidies for coal by dirt-cheap land leases.

- put up full security for returning land to the way it was. Mountains are valuable. Put them back after you are done, or better, leave them where they are.

- equal wildlife setbacks for all industries. A hawk's nest in a wind farm needs a 1.5km setback. On a coal mine? Nothing. What is it for moose or cougars on a coal mine?

This is a badly planned and terribly implemented move for resource development and it needs to stop.

Andrea Willman