The Alberta NDP has come out with its policy on coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rockies.

There won't be any.

Livingstone-Macleod candidate Kevin Van Tighem says their policy came about because they listened to Albertans.

"What we're going to be doing is passing an Eastern Slopes Protection Act which will ensure that there's no new coal mines approved on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, that's because Albertans have told us water is far more important than coal and our water comes from the place where that coal is found, we're basically responding to what the people of Alberta have asked for," he says.

Van Tighem says when the UCP rescinded the previous 1970-s coal policy enacted by the Peter Lougheed Progressive Conservative government it was a huge mistake.

"It never even occurred to anybody that we would ever see coal strip mines up there because the Lougheed Progressive Conservatives made a good policy decision, a wise and forward-looking policy decision, the UCP made a really dumb decision in cancelling it, they didn't consult with anybody, or they would have known that pretty quickly."

He says the one good thing that's come out of the coal issue is it's brought Albertans of all walks of life together to fight for a clean watershed.

"We had ranchers, we had First Nations, grass roots groups, we had people in the movie industry, musicians, hunters, fishermen, all kinds of people who had never really spent much time with each other, but they all came together because we all love our Rocky Mountains and we all know how critically important a secure water supply is to the future of this province, Van Tighem says.

He says the coal issue reminded Albertans of who we are.