A clash over coal mining in the Rocky Mountains pits Australia's wealthiest woman against a coalition led by Canadian country music star Corb Lund. The dispute centers on a proposal to reopen the Grassy Mountain mine in Alberta, which would extract metallurgic coal for steel production.
Opposition from a Country Music Icon
Corb Lund, a multiple Canadian Country Music Association award winner, has united ranchers, fishermen, and environmentalists to block the project. Lund, who has never spoken out on political issues in his 30-year career, called the mining plan egregious, stating that the risks are high and rewards low, benefiting only foreign coal companies and a few jobholders.
Hancock Prospecting's Revised Proposal
A unit of Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd. is seeking government permission for the mine. CEO Mike Young said the subsidiary Northback has reduced the initial proposal by 40% and cut the planned mining rate to 2.5 million tons per year. Plans include a water-treatment facility and burying selenium to avoid tailings dams. Young emphasized that the company, though foreign-owned, has all Canadian obligations.
Regulatory History and Environmental Concerns
New coal mines in Alberta were tightly restricted for nearly 50 years until a temporary policy change in 2020. After a suspension of lease sales in 2021, restrictions were lifted again in 2025, triggering legal action. A joint federal-provincial review board rejected the Grassy Mountain project five years ago, citing adverse effects on water quality and westslope cutthroat trout habitat that outweigh economic benefits.
Canada is the eighth-largest producer of metallurgic coal, with Alberta ranking second domestically. Despite a phase-out of coal-fired power, metallurgic coal prices remain near historic highs. Lund and his coalition are urging provincial leaders to impose a moratorium on new coal projects in the eastern Rockies.
