Councillors with Foothills County will consider a letter to the Province at their meeting Wednesday January 27, outlining their concerns with proposed open pit coal mines.

Division Two Councillor Delilah Miller says she'd like to see it made more difficult to simply make the kind of change the government did without consultation.

"I would like to see another layer added where instead of us having a coal policy it be moved into legislation," she says. "That way the Province won't be able to just come forward and dismiss a decision made by another government because it's a policy, it'll actually be legislated into law so they'll have to go back for full consultation with Albertans rather than do what they did."

Miller says a lot of people recognize coal mining has been part of Alberta's history, but open pit mines are entirely different, much more invasive and much more harmful to the environment.

She says what the legislation would look like should be determined in consultations with Albertans.

The County joins towns like High River and Nanton along with several local area farmers and ranchers and associated groups who've voiced their disapproval of the coal leases.

 

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