Coal Policy Developments in the 1990s

Abstract

Taxation, reclamation, and land use planning will be the three most important coal policy issues in British Columbia over the rest of the decade. British Columbia has reduced its profit-based taxes twice in the last five years in response to falling revenues, an increasing nonprofit tax burden, and falling coal prices. British Columbia's reclamation policy is meant to ensure that a mining company pays for reclamation of its minesite when mining is completed. For the coal sector, reclamation standards, acceptable security instruments, and the level of public risk are key policy issues that governments will have to confront. British Columbia has developed a process to resolve contentious land use issues through forward planning and public consensus. The mineral sector must limit the loss of access to potential mining areas while the government pursues its goal of doubling the size of protected areas.