Cheviot coal mine plan gets government approval

Vancouver — Five years after submiting an environmental impact asssessment, Luscar and joint-venture partner CONSOL Energy Canada have obtained government approval for their Cheviot coal mine project, near Hinton, Alta.

Cheviot is the eventual replacement of the nearly depleted Luscar mine, 70 km south of Hinton. Both properties are held by Luscar and Pittsburgh, Pa.-based CONSOL Energy in a 50-50 joint venture. Cardinal River Coals (CRC) operates the joint venture.

“We are pleased the required approvals for the Cheviot project will be put in place,” says Gordon Ulrich, president of Luscar. “With this approval, the Cheviot project is poised for development as soon as [market] conditions warrant and customer commitments are in place.”

The Cheviot proposal calls for a processing plant, open-pit mine, a restored rail line, an upgraded existing access road, and a new transmission line and substation to supply electrical power.

The proposed mine permit boundary lies 2.8 km east of the Jasper National Park boundary, a factor that triggered legal challenges by environmental groups opposed to the mine’s development. These efforts were successful in early 1999, when a federal court ruled that the environmental assessment study was incomplete. As a consequence, authorization for the previously approved project was withdrawn.

After ruling that the study was “flawed,” Judge Douglas Campbell highlighted four main issues to be addressed:

– cumulative environmental effects of forestry activities;

– cumulative environmental effects of all likely mining activities near the project;

– underground mining as an alternative means to the project; and

– various concerns raised by the Canadian Nature Federation.

A panel reconvened that spring to address these issues. CRC researched the impact of other mining projects in the study area, as well as forestry operations, oil and gas projects and recreational activities. It concluded that the number of mines in the region would likely decrease over the next 25 years, and that this would result in little change to the existing baseline conditions. It also concluded that additional resource activity would not significantly affect the region, with the exception of logging, which would require mitigation.

Underground mining

CRC examined the technical, economic and environmental aspects of underground and surface mining, and commissioned an independent third party to evaluate both mining methods. All studies found that underground mining was neither technically nor economically feasible, in support of which they cited risks associated with the highly folded and faulted geology of the deposit, and the lack of trained underground miners.

Cheviot contains an estimated resource of 70 million tonnes, enough to support a mine life of 20 years. Once constructed at a capital cost of about $25 million, the mine will produce high-quality bituminous metallurgical coal at a projected rate of 3.2 million tonnes per year.

The main coal seam at the Luscar mine, known as Jewel, will also be mined at the Cheviot site. It has an average thickness of 10-12 metres, and folding and faulting in some areas have produced pods of coal up to 40 metres thick.

Truck-and-shovel mining will be carried out simultaneously in several pits. The preparation plant is being designed to separate raw coal into four size fractions, which will then be washed in either a heavy media vessel, heavy media cyclones, a hydro cyclone or a hydroclone/ spiral, or, alternatively, by froth cells. A single thermal dryer with the capacity to evaporate 40 tonnes of water per hour is included in the design plans. The clean coal storage facility will be able to hold up to 48,000 tonnes, and the on-ground clean coal storage facility will have a 50,000-tonne capacity.

In its environmental impact assessment, CRC addressed regional concerns about the Cheviot project, and suggested ways of mitigating these. Issues include vegetation, water quality, fisheries, and terrestrial wildlife (specifically elk, grizzly bears and harlequin ducks).

Of the various plant species identified within the perimeter of the mine, two were found to have particular ecological significance. In addition, 35 plant species were considered “provincially significant,” with four classified as “critically imperiled,” 27 as “imperiled” and four as “rare.”

CRC’s suggestions for mitigating vegetation concerns include:

– integrating the post-mining landscape into surrounding natural conditions;

– creating a re-vegetation plan focused on plant communities;

– protecting ecologically significant vegetation wherever possible;

– transplanting significant species where avoidance is not possible;

– integrating the proposed water-filled mine pits into the surrounding landscape; and

– protecting the reclaimed post-mining landscape from human disturbance until vegetation has become re-established,

The reclamation program is also designed to protect wildlife habitat and encourage diversity by creating a variety of landscapes.

Water and fisheries

CRC concluded that mining would decrease water flow during the pre-mining and pit de-watering stages, as well as during the winter period. Storm water retention in the active pits and end-pit lakes, as well as the porous nature of the rock dumps, would also reduce water flow during peak flood times. Overall, CRC concluded that there would be no significant adverse cumulative effects on surface water flows. The company also found that the project would have little or no effect on sediment levels.

Some risk of nutrient-loading was noted, which results in increased productivity of aquatic plants. Nitrate, a byproduct of blasting, was identified as the main form of nitrogen leached from coal mines into local waters. CRC says the cumulative effects of nitrate-nitrogen loading from the Cheviot mine (and other potential mines) would be insignificant.

Five species of sport fish were identified at the mine site: bull trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish. A decline in both fish numbers and biomass is expected to occur after mine development, though this loss would be offset by the creation of seven lakes (from filled pits) with self-reproducing fish populations.

Another concern raised in environmental studies is the possibility of an increase in illegal hunting as areas are developed for mining. The hiding cover for elk and moose could take 25 years or more to become re-established on the reclaimed site. During this time, elk would be able to take refuge in large blocks of land left undisturbed near the mine site.

Also, CRC has agreed to maintain tree and shrub cover wherever possible, including forested areas adjacent to the mine. To avoid road mortalities, it proposes implementing slowdown zones on routes under its control.

Grizzly bears would be protected by the imposition of firearm and hunting restrictions, with habitat protected wherever possible. Waste would be carefully monitored so as not to attract bears to work areas. Also, “tree islands” and land bridges would be retained to enhance movement across the mine site. On a more regional scale, the company is prepared to take part in a program aimed at mitigating the impact of mining on grizzlies and other large carnivores.

In light of new evidence about the abundance of harlequin ducks, CRC says the impact of mining would be minor. However, it has agreed to consider various mitigation strategies, such as 100-metre vegetation or topography buffers between streams and trails to avoid human disturbance wherever possible. It also intends to schedule construction so as not to disturb sensitive periods of the bird’s life cycle.

Having addressed concerns raised during the court challenge, Cheviot now has the necessary environmental approvals to begin production. While no immediate plans for construction have been announced, improvements in the coal market are enhancing the likelihood that Cheviot will one day be recognized as a modern, environmentally sensitive mine.