Environmentalists fear a proposed coal mine in the Comox Valley could be the first of more to come on Vancouver Island if it's allowed to proceed.

While shareholders and executives of the Compliance Coal Corporation discussed preliminary plans for the Raven Underground Coal Project -- the first one proposed for the region in 25 years -- at their annual general meeting in Vancouver today, protesters (including one in a giant lizard costume) chanted on the sidewalks outside 'Say no to dirty coal!'

The protest followed an announcement by Environment Minister Jim Prentice today stating that Canada would move away from dirty coal, and begin phasing out coal-fired electricity. The move drew mixed reactions from environmental groups.

Tria Donaldson, Pacific Coast Campaigner with the Wilderness Committee called it "a lot of hypocrisy."

"We're applauding ourselves for lowering our national emissions while shipping it off to other countries."

And it won't affect projects like the Raven Underground Coal Project, according to Compliance CEO John Tafeks, because it's a steel-making coal mine as opposed to coal-burning mine.

"There isn't any other way to make steel in the world at this point," Tafeks told The Tyee. "About 90 per cent of steel is manufactured from steel-making coal or metallurgical coal. Anything made from steel, be it pot in kitchen to a wind turbine or hybrid car all have steel and all effectively come from steel-making coal."

"He doesn't see any problem with coal," said Robin Mumblo, a concerned resident of Fanny Bay in the Comox Valley who attended the protest. "He's the coal baron with a clear conscience."

The Wilderness Committee warns of the inherent damage that all coal projects cause in the form of run-off from the process of cleaning waste rock and the strain on local watersheds which includes vital aquifers. Run-off of heavy metals such as arsenic and selenium pose a threat to one of BC's premium shellfish industries, Donaldson warns.

The Wilderness Committee press release states that "Major concerns have been raised by local residents from Port Alberni to Denman Island including: health impacts from coal dust, increased traffic from the 6-10 truckloads of coal per hour driving through Cathedral Grove."

Josh Massey is completing a practicum at The Tyee.