Request to Reject Teck Frontier Mine Proposal

Reference Number
1171
Text


January 23, 2020Frontier Oil Sands Mine ProjectImpact Assessment Agency of Canada160 Elgin Street, 22nd FloorOttawa, ON K1A 0H3To those at the Impact Assessment Agency who are responsible for assessing the Frontier Mine Proposal:I am writing as a concerned citizen of Calgary and Canada to ask you to refuse to approve the Teck Frontier oilsands mine in northern Alberta. Approving the Mine Blatantly Contradicts Canada’s GHG Emissions TargetsIf you approve this mine, it will be virtually impossible to achieve the GHG emission targets that Canada set in the Paris agreement. The prime minister and the minister of Environment and Climate Change have repeatedly said the climate crisis is this government’s priority. Please act in accordance with that priority.Approving the Mine Will Adversely Affect Indigenous PeoplesThe current government has made ambitious promises to improve the lives of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Approving the Teck mine would directly contradict that promise, since the mine would destroy the land, forests, and water that sustain the Indigenous peoples of northern Alberta and beyond. Approving the Mine Will Destroy 292 Square Kilometres of WildernessThe Joint Review Panel (JRP) who reviewed the mine proposal in 2019 found that this massive development will have “significant” and “permanent” impacts on the environment, including the removal of old-growth forests, the destruction of fish habitat, and the loss of many areas with high species diversity.Approving the Mine Does Not Make Economic SenseThe predicted economic benefits of the mine project are based on oil prices not seen in years. The JRP reported “uncertainty regarding forecasts for future oil prices,” yet they concluded that the uncertain economic benefits outweighed the certain ecological devastation that it would create. Even Teck Frontier admitted, in its 2018 annual report, that the commercial viability of the mine was uncertain. Reclamation Plans for the Mine Are UncertainThe JRP agreed that “some habitat types cannot be reclaimed.” All of the wetlands, covering nearly 45 per cent of the area studied (14,000 hectares), will be removed. Wetlands – especially peatlands, which cover more than 3,000 hectares of the site – are almost impossible to reclaim. Teck Frontier Has an Abysmal Environmental RecordFrom 1896 to 1995, Teck dumped 140,000 tons of toxic chemicals into Lake Roosevelt in Washington State. With Teck’s environmental record and the current spill rate of the Trans Mountain Pipeline (84 spills since 1961), projects such as the proposed Teck mine have environment impacts far beyond their emissions and immediate habitat destruction.In light of the ecological crisis that our planet faces, it is time to support renewable sources of energy. Please take a firm step in that direction by rejecting the Frontier Mine proposal.Sincerely,Jo Hildebrand809, 235 – 9A St. NWCalgary, AB T2N 4H7(403) 969-7636

Submitted by
Administrator on behalf of Jo Hildebrand
Phase
Environmental Assessment Decision
Public Notice
Public Notice: Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project - Environmental Assessment Public Comment Period on Additional Information
Attachment(s)
N/A
Date Submitted
2020-01-23
Date modified: