The Alberta NDP says the provincial government’s plan for open-pit coal mining in the Rockies has hit a major roadblock.

That's because on Tuesday, October 19, Montem Resources announced it will be repurposing the Tent Mountain coal mine project into a renewable energy complex producing green hydrogen that has the potential to replace coal as a feedstock to make steel.

“The world is changing, and if we don't change with it, we risk being left behind. Job creators understand this. Unfortunately, the UCP continues to look backwards instead of to the future for economic opportunities,” said NDP Energy Critic Kathleen Ganley.

She claims the UCP’s outdated policies and inability to prepare our province for a changing economy will hurt Albertans.

The UCP re-opened areas of the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies for open-pit coal mining prompting an outcry from farmers, ranchers, tourism operators and municipalities who were led in the fight by High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass and then-councillor Bruce Masterman.

The government halted its plans and set up a committee to gather input and come up with recommendations for a new coal policy in the region.

That report is expected to be submitted to the UCP government on November 15.

Ganley says in the statement Investment decisions are increasingly being based on taking action on climate change and commitments to net-zero.

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