Alberta's premier must rethink his traditional "fight back" approach and start building bridges to reconcile environmental concerns with oil and gas development.

A court hearing on Alberta’s controversial shift in coal policy has wrapped up. The case centres on a UCP government decision to allow open-pit coal mining on the eastern slopes.

Alberta ranchers and First Nations oppose the government's decision to revoke a coal policy from 1976 that blocked development on some parts of the eastern slopes of the Rockies.

Savage said in an emailed statement that the province would cancel 11 recently issued coal leases and pause any future coal lease sales in former Category 2 lands.

Government documents that have surfaced show three more recreation areas in the mountains and foothills are surrounded by coal exploration leases -- for a total of eight.

The United Conservative government is holding an auction, which closes at noon Wednesday.

Alberta's United Conservative government has revoked a 1976 policy that kept coal mines out of the mountains and eastern slopes of the Rockies.

The Alberta Court of Appeals said wider public concerns should have been heard before an energy services company was permitted to dispose of radioactive waste in a landfill.

Landowners and area First Nations have filed applications challenging the legality of the government's decision to revoke the protections without consultations.

Duane Bratt of Calgary's Mount Royal University says the announcement is the first time he's seen the government back off an unpopular policy since coming into office.