Approval of largest ever tar sands mine blatantly ignores climate emergency

VANCOUVER — Wilderness Committee is dumbfounded upon hearing news a Joint Review Panel of federal and provincial regulators has approved the Teck Frontier Mine in Alberta’s tar sands. Its decision comes despite numerous environmental groups highlighting the project’s emissions during the review.



“It’s crystal clear to me these regulators do not live in the real world — a world that’s warming frighteningly fast,” said Climate Campaigner Peter McCartney. “Teck Frontier Mine is completely out of line with provincial, federal and even global climate goals.”

Teck’s project would create an annual six megatonnes (MT) of carbon pollution, pushing Alberta beyond its supposed 100 MT emissions cap and putting Canada even further from cutting the 79 MT it needs to meet its targets under the Paris Agreement on climate change. Research also shows no new fossil fuel infrastructure can be built if the world is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Frankly, we don’t have time for this,” said McCartney. “If governments keep paying lip service to climate action while approving these new fossil fuel megaprojects they cannot act surprised when emissions continue to climb.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Cabinet will now have to decide whether to accept the regulator’s recommendations and approve Alberta’s largest tar sands mine.

“It’s time for the prime minister to draw a line in the sand and stop the Teck Frontier Mine,” said McCartney. “We are in a climate emergency. People are dying. We need to act like it.”

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For more information please contact:

Peter McCartney, Climate Campaigner

778-239-1935, peter@wildernesscommittee.org

