From a Canadian Press article, originally posted January 27, 2005 . . .
A coal project in southeastern British Columbia is raising a stir north and south of the international border, less than a year after the provincial government blocked a coal mine that Montana protested as a threat to U.S. water quality.
Canada's Cline Mining Corp. now plans exploratory work at a site just north of where it proposed mining coal before the province halted the plan last spring. "Wastewater from this (potential) mine could irreparably harm our fisheries and recreational waters here in Montana," Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said Wednesday. "In the West there is one rule: Don't mess with our water."
"We thought we had a working relationship in place with British Columbia," Baucus said. The need of governments to consider "thoughtful, responsible resource development" is apparent, but "threatening pristine ecosystems and watersheds like Glacier National Park (south of the exploration area) are deal breakers."
Provincial Minister of Energy and Mines Richard Neufeld said Baucus is a "radical" who assumes a mine will be developed when, in fact, Cline is simply exploring possibilities.
Read the entire article . . .