Alberta Coal Conflict: Lund's Petition Gains New Ground

ALBERTA — Country rocker Corb Lund just scored round two in his fight to keep coal mines out of Alberta's Rockies. Elections Alberta approved his citizen initiative application—again—issuing a "Notice of Initiative Petition" that officially puts his "No New Coal Mining in Alberta's Rockies" proposal back in play.

This is Lund's comeback swing after the United Conservative Party government pulled a December surprise, retroactively torching his first approved application with Bill 14. That bill didn't just kill Lund's petition five days after Elections Alberta greenlit it on December 8, 2025. It also jacked up the application fee from $500 to $25,000—a move that looked designed to price grassroots campaigns out of the game entirely.

The $500 Window

But here's the twist: when Lund reapplied on January 16, 2026, he slipped through under the old $500 fee. Whether that was timing or a bureaucratic hiccup, it meant the UCP's financial barricade didn't stop him.

At stake is the future of the Rocky Mountain foothills—land Lund and a coalition of ranchers, farmers, and conservation groups say is critical for water security and agricultural survival. This isn't just symbolic posturing. The province already burned $95 million settling with one coal company after public backlash forced earlier lease cancellations in the Rockies.

The Government's Two-Step

Premier Danielle Smith said she'd "watch with great interest" when Lund's first petition launched. Meanwhile, Energy Minister Brian Jean's office claimed the government is "finalizing rules that will modernize the coal mining industry" with environmental safeguards baked in. Translation: We're interested, but we're also moving forward with coal anyway.

Bill 14 made the government's real position clear. It retroactively erased Lund's initial effort and threw up financial barriers that would choke most citizen-led campaigns before they started.

The Signature War Begins

Now that the Notice of Initiative Petition is official, Lund's team can start collecting names. The bar is high: 10 percent of eligible voters province-wide, which means rounding up approximately 177,752 signatures. Hit that number, and the Legislative Assembly has to consider the proposal—or send it to a referendum where voters decide directly.

The clock starts now. Lund's got his guitar, his coalition, and a second chance to force the UCP into a corner on coal.