Grassy Mountain Coal Mine
by Zac Trolley
As a professional engineer with 20 years of experience, I’ve always believed in the power of expertise and competence. I take my professional oaths seriously, and respect others who do the same.
When I need advice on health, I consult doctors. On education, teachers. Yet, when Premier Danielle Smith was asked who advises her on Alberta’s energy future, she answered, “I take advice from CEOs. Who else would I take advice from?”
I remind the engineers who are reading this that we are legally bound to prioritize public safety in our work. So it should raise extreme suspicion when the UCP makes an effort to avoid adding engineers to advisory panels.
This is more than a political choice, it’s a betrayal of public trust. Engineers are trained to solve complex systems. We ensure each part of the whole meets safety codes, and that our designs meet the clients’ specifications.
I believe our oaths extend beyond individual parts and apply to the entire system. For decades, I focused on safety in the details. It was my job to ensure every part I was asked to design was designed to the spec and as safe as possible.
As I enter my senior engineering years, I see the bigger picture. Our profession’s ethical duty must also apply to strategic decisions.
Take the Grassy Mountain coal mine. Smith touts its economic benefits while dismissing environmental and safety concerns. She tells the public that we must develop our resources to ensure prosperity while refusing to listen to alternatives. There is a glaring technical question that her circle of advisers will never consider: Should we build an open-pit coal mine when green steel alternatives are emerging globally?
The answer lies in engineering expertise, not CEO incentives.
I’ve spent my career executing decisions made by others. As a junior engineer, I diligently followed design and industry specifications. As a project manager, I optimized flawed plans cooked up in closed-door boardroom meetings. I understand this is how the world works.
We work in imperfect situations, with limited resources and tight deadlines. Sometimes you just need to get the job done.
But our profession’s integrity is compromised when engineers are excluded from strategic choices. CEOs, legally obligated to maximize shareholder value, cannot prioritize public welfare. Yet, over time, we’ve let them become the default “experts” in energy policy. This a failure of our professional accountability.
Engineers must ask: Are we being consulted on whether projects should proceed, or just asked to approve predetermined plans?
The Grassy Mountain debate is a litmus test. By sidelining engineers in the decision-making process, Alberta risks becoming a relic in a world demanding sustainable solutions. The engineering profession’s credibility is at stake.
If we accept relegation to task executors while CEOs drive strategy, we undermine the very foundation of engineering. We undermine our code of conduct that clearly states, “Professional engineers and geoscientists shall, in their areas of practice, hold paramount the health, safety and welfare of the public, and have regard for the environment.”
The public deserves infrastructure decisions guided by technical expertise, not profit motives. Grassy Mountain isn’t the end — it’s a beginning.
By critically examining our role as engineers and refusing to stay silent, engineers can restore our professional integrity. It’s our name on the paper after all. We are the ones who approve the design and take on the risk. We deserve a say in what is built.
I won’t stay silent. Will you?
This opinion piece was originally posted in the Calgary Herald.