JOINT REVIEW PANEL IN THE MATTER OF the Coal Conservation Act Application Nos. 1844520, 1902073, Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act Application No. 001-00403427; IN THE MATTER OF the Water Act Application Nos. 001-00403428, 001-00403429, 001- 00403430, 001-00403431, and Public Lands Act Application Nos. MSL160757, MSL160758, LOC160841, LOC160842, and LOC970943; and IN THE MATTER OF Benga Mining Limited Grassy Mountain Coal Project Impact Assessment Agency of Canada Reference No. 80101. Written Argument of the Coalition of Alberta Wilderness Association and Grassy Mountain Group (“the Coalition”) January 8, 2021 ACKROYD LLP Ifeoma M. Okoye Richard C. Secord 1500 First Edmonton Place 10665 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3S9 Telephone: (780) 423-8905 Fax: (780) 423-8946 Counsel for the Coalition TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................1 2.0 The Public Interest .............................................................................................................3 3.0 Requested Disposition ........................................................................................................4 4.0 Review Framework ............................................................................................................5 4.1 Species at Risk Act Considerations .........................................................................8 5.0 The Environmental Assessment......................................................................................11 5.1 Purpose of the Project, visual aesthetics, alternative means, land and resource use, socio-economic effects and historic resources ...........................................................................12 5.1.1. Project Need and Purpose .....................................................................................12 5.1.2 Land and Resource Use and Visual Impacts .........................................................14 5.1.3 Access Issues .........................................................................................................16 5.1.4 Property Devaluation ............................................................................................25 5.1.5 Landowner Effects and Mine Permit Boundary (“MPB”) ....................................31 5.1.6 Socio-Economic Effects ........................................................................................32 5.2 Geology, geotechnical (including dam safety) and mining, accidents and malfunctions, industrial waste and waste management, effects of the environment on the Project (including climate change) and other issues. ................................................................40 5.2.1 Climate change - The Coalition Evidence ............................................................40 5.2.2 Views of the Coalition ..........................................................................................40 5.2.3 Conclusion .............................................................................................................57 5.3 Vegetation, including species at risk, terrain and soils, including reclamation, conservation, closure, and biodiversity ......................................................................................60 5.3.1 Overview ...............................................................................................................60 5.3.2 Whitebark and Limber Pine ..................................................................................62 5.3.3 Rough Fescue Grasslands .....................................................................................71 5.3.4 Significance of Project’s effects ............................................................................73 5.3.5 Conservation and Reclamation .............................................................................74 5.3.6 Reply to Benga’s Comments on Mr. Wallis Evidence .........................................75 5.3.7 Cumulative Effects ................................................................................................78 5.4 Water, including surface and groundwater management, quantity and quality, selenium management and aquatic resources, including fish, fish habitat, and fish species at risk ............................................................................................................................................80 Coalition of AWA and Grassy Mountain Group Benga Mining Limited Written Argument of the Coalition Grassy Mountain Coal Project January 8, 2021 5.4.1 Water, including Surface and groundwater management, quantity and quality and selenium management .................................................................................................................80 5.4.1.1 The Coalition Evidence ........................................................................................80 5.4.1.2 Water Worst Case Scenarios and the Public Interest ............................................80 5.4.1.3 Hydrogeology and the SRK Groundwater Numerical Model ..............................82 5.4.1.4 Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction and the SRK GoldSim Model ............127 5.4.1.5 Geochemistry .....................................................................................................142 5.4.1.6 Conclusion on Models used by Benga to support its application to remove the top of Grassy Mountain ..........................................................................................................157 5.4.1.7 Comments on Benga’s Final Argument relating to Dr. Fennell ........................161 5.4.1.8 Comments on Mr. O’Gorman’s Wrap Up Questions to Benga .........................163 5.4.2 Aquatic Resources including Fish and Fish Habitat and Fish Species At Risk .......168 5.4.2.1 The Coalition evidence ......................................................................................168 5.4.2.1.1 Mr. Allan Locke ............................................................................................169 5.4.2.1.2 Mr. Lorne Fitch .............................................................................................170 5.4.2.1.3 Dr. John Post .................................................................................................174 5.5. Dust, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and light .....................................178 5.5.1 Noise ...................................................................................................................178 5.5.2 Air Quality ..........................................................................................................187 5.6 Wildlife, including migratory birds and species at risk, wildlife health, and human health risk assessment................................................................................................................189 5.6.1 Reply to Benga’s Argument regarding Evidence of Mr. Wallis .........................193 6.0 Concluding Remarks .....................................................................................................194 2 Coalition of AWA and Grassy Mountain Group Benga Mining Limited Written Argument of the Coalition Grassy Mountain Coal Project January 8, 2021 1.0 Introduction 1. These are the written argument filed on behalf of the Coalition of the Alberta Wilderness Association and Grassy Mountain Group (“Coalition”) with respect to the Joint Review Panel’s (“JRP” or the “Panel”) consideration of Benga Mining Limited’s (“Benga”) applications1 under the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s (“IAAC”) Reference No. 80101 for the Grassy Mountain Coal Project (“Project”). 2. The Project involves an open pit mine for extracting bituminous coal suitable for steelmaking, a coal handling and preparation plant with associated infrastructure, an overland conveyor system paralleling an existing access corridor and connecting to a rail load out facility and a new section of rail track.2 The Project will be located in southwest Alberta, approximately 150km southwest of Calgary in the Crowsnest Pass and will cover areas within Townships 08 and 09 and Ranges 03 and 04 West of the 5th Meridian. The steelmaking coal processing facility will be located approximately 7km north of Blairmore.3 3. The Coalition was granted full participation rights in this matter by the Panel on June 29, 2020 in the Panel’s June 29 letter and confirmed in the August 10, 2020 letter4. 4. The members of the Coalition, the descriptions of their lands and locations relative to the mine permit boundary are as follows: No Name Legal Land Description Location relative to (if applicable) the mine permit boundary 1 Fran Gilmar, Mitch and Rose SW30-8-3-W5M Within mine boundary Bonertz 2 Larry and Barb Donkersgoed, SW19-8-3-W5M Within mine boundary Donkersgoed Feeders Ltd. 3 Ed and Shannon SW19-8-3-W5M Within mine boundary Donkersgoed, Berdina Farms Ltd. 4 Norman and Connie SE19-8-3-W5M Adjacent to the mine Watmough, Tyler Watmough, boundary Sun Cured Alfalfa Cubes Inc. 5 Shirley Kirby Plan 1014575 Block 19 7km south of the 1 The applications are: Coal Conservation Act Application Nos. Coal Conservation Act Application Nos. 1844520, 1902073, Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act Application No. 001-00403427; the Water Act Application Nos. 001-00403428, 001-00403429, 001-00403430, 001-00403431, and Public Lands Act Application Nos. MSL160757, MSL160758, LOC160841, LOC160842, and LOC970943 2 Benga’s Application,