The 2021 order, made by Sonya Savage, restored protections to those beloved landscapes after encouragement from the United Conservative Party government led to a series of mountaintop removal mine proposals from coal companies. Those proposals were widely opposed.New Premier Danielle Smith has mused about reopening the coal mine debate. Guthrie wouldn’t say how long he’ll keep the current order in place.
Estimates suggest that if the so-called RStar program grants the $20 billion in credits industry is seeking, Alberta taxpayers would forgo $5 billion in revenue. The RStar proposal has been widely criticized by energy economists, who say it would transfer money to companies who don’t need it to do work that most are doing anyway. They point out energy companies are already legally obliged to clean up their mess.