Crown Mountain Coking Coal Public Comment Period is Open

The Crown Mountain Coking Coal Public Comment Period on the application is Now Open. The comment period will be from Jan 29, 2024 – February 29 @ 12:59 AM MST

The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) and Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) are working together to review the Crown Mountain Coking Coal project. Proposed by NWP Coal Canada Ltd., the project is an open-pit metallurgical coal mine located in the Elk Valley, 12 kilometres northeast of Sparwood, British Columbia.

The EAO is coordinating its review process with IAAC because the project also requires approval under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (2012).

When a project falls under both provincial and federal environmental assessment responsibility, there is an agreement in place for a coordinated impact assessment. IAAC and EAO coordinate during the planning, impact assessment, and public comment periods by harmonizing timelines and coordinating engagement. The two governments will carry out a single, cooperative environmental assessment while retaining their respective decision-making powers. This is intended to create a more streamlined and efficient process.

The public is invited to provide comments on Crown Mountain Coking Coal project until Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Two in-person BC EAO/IAAC Open Houses and a virtual session will be held:
Cranbrook
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
12:00 – 3:00 PM MST
Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort (209 Van Horne Street)

Sparwood
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
4:00 – 7:00 PM MST
Causeway Bay Hotel (102 Red Cedar Drive)

A Virtual Information Session will be held:
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
5:00 – 7:00 PM MST
Click here to register:
https://ca01web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eh5iJcv_T0GciYKxjtqfbA

For more information, please visit: gov.bc.ca/EAOPublicComments

NWP Coal Canada Limited is seeking a Mines Act permit, which would allow:
• an average production capacity of approximately 2 million tonnes of coal per year from three open pits over 16 years
• a disturbance of approximately 850 hectares
• employment of up to 500 during construction and 330 during operation

Full details of the Crown Mountain Coking Coal application can be found here.

Crown Mountain Coking Coal is in the application development and review phase of the environmental assessment process. The EAO is accepting input on the application for an environmental assessment certificate prepared by NWP Coal Canada Ltd. The application includes all details about the project including its final design, where it will be located, the anticipated effects from the project to environmental, social, economic, health and cultural values, and measures to reduce these anticipated effects.

In this phase, the EAO will review the application, in collaboration with First Nations, technical experts and local government representatives and with input from the public, and determine whether it contains enough information to carry out an assessment of potential effects from the project.

To submit a comment, you can visit either of the following websites:
The Canadian Impact Assessment Registry at canada.ca/iaac-registry (reference number 80087). A summary of the EIS / Application document is available in English or French. Participants who wish to provide their input in a different format can contact the Agency by writing to crown@iaac-aeic.gc.ca.
The Environmental Assessment Office’s website at gov.bc.ca/EAOPublicComments.

NWP Coal will also be staging their own information sharing sessions outside the BC EAO/IAAC Open Houses:
– Cranbrook Feb 12 from 12 to 3 pm at the Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort
– Elkford Feb 17 from 1 to 4 pm at the Community Center
– Crowsnest Pass Feb 20 from 4 to 7 pm at the Golf course
– Fernie Feb 26 from 4 to 7 at the Senior’s Center