The Coal Policy committee's report to the Alberta government won't be turned in Monday as originally planned.

Chair of the committee, Ron Wallace and Energy Minister Sonya Savage released a statement Wednesday morning saying:

“Due to the extraordinary volume, breadth and depth of the input provided by Albertans, the Coal Policy Committee requested an extension to the deadline for both their engagement and final reports.

“An extension until Dec. 31 has been granted to ensure the committee is able to devote the necessary time and attention to the input they have received and to their recommendations. The reports will be reviewed in detail by the government before being released publicly."

High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass, a vocal opponent of coal mining on the eastern slopes, isn't surprised.

"It was a monstrous undertaking that the coal policy committee took on, so we were all kind of saying that November 15th seems to be pretty quick to do all the engagement plus put this huge report together and obviously what they found was that once they got into it, the committee, it was pretty apparent as to the amount of engagement that the public brought to them so to have it delayed a month-and-a-half is not an issue in my mind," said Snodgrass.

The prohibition on coal activity and exploration in Category 2 lands, set to expire at the end of this year, will be extended until further notice.

“The Coal Policy Committee is grateful for the outpouring of interest throughout the engagement process. We met with representatives from Indigenous communities and their organizations, municipalities, unions, coal companies and their associations, and many other interest groups and ENGOs. In fact, we extended the engagement period by two months until the end of September. In total, we received more than 1,000 email submissions and over 170 detailed written submissions, along with associated materials from 67 engagement sessions," said committee chair Ron Wallace.

“The committee has been unwavering in our commitment to procedural fairness and transparency. We have requested a deadline extension so that we may better compile, assess and report on the extensive and insightful input submitted. We are honoured to have been entrusted with this engagement and we reiterate our promise to ensure that the opinions about a modernized coal policy expressed by so many Albertans are accurately and proportionately reflected in our final reports to the Minister of Energy.”

Mayor Snodgrass says there will be people on both sides who are skeptical of why the committee needs more time but as far as he's concerned it's the right thing to do do to make sure the report is done properly.

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