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Alberta\u2019s government has ended a 2022 moratorium on new coal exploration and development on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, reported The Canadian Press<\/em>. Energy Minister Brian Jean said the move will \u201creduce regulatory confusion\u201d around coal mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alberta repealed its 1976 coal policy and issued new exploration leases in 2020, only to put nearly all new projects on hold less than two years later after a deluge of public pushback. The currently policy still restricts all exploration and development on Category 1 lands, which include parks, wilderness areas and wildlife sanctuaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The news agency noted that the end of the moratorium coincides with five coal companies suing the Alberta government for more than $15 billion in combined lost revenues and sunk costs. They argue that these losses are a result of the government\u2019s inconsistent policy changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nigel Bankes, professor emeritus of law at the University of Calgary, said it appears the government made the move to kill the legal action against it. \u201cIt\u2019s very likely it knocks the foundation out from those cases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n