Another first-rate article by Michael Jamison from the Thursday, December 8, 2005 online edition of the Missoulian . . .
A Canadian mining company has agreed that its controversial coal mine project north of Glacier National Park should, in fact, be subjected to a comprehensive environmental review.
That marks a substantial shift for Cline Mining Corp., which as recently as one month ago promised shareholders it would pursue “fast-track” approval of the project, seeking a “small-mine” permit that does not require full environmental analysis.
Now, the company says it will instead apply for a large-mine permit, a two-stage process that involves detailed environmental and socioeconomic analysis.
“And we're not even in the pre-application stage yet,” Kathy Eichenberger said of the Cline proposal. “They're really just getting going with this.”
Eichenberger is regional manager of the Environmental Protection office at British Columbia's Ministry of Environment, and spoke Wednesday in Kalispell at a high-level meeting of the Flathead Basin Commission.
Despite Cline's earlier announcements that the company would “fast-track” the mine, that it would apply for permitting by the end of November, that a firm timetable is now in place for its project application, Eichenberger said the reality is the mine remains a long way off.
The company's managers and their promises to shareholders, she said, “don't dictate the timelines.”
Instead, the government and its regulators control the timetable, she said, and officials are only now meeting with Cline representatives for initial discussions about the requirements of the application process.
The news that Cline will undergo full environmental review was well received on both sides of the international line, especially among those concerned that mining waste could pollute waters in and around Glacier National Park.
“At last, the process has reached the stage where the focus will be on science, and that's a huge step,” said David Thomas, city council member from Fernie, B.C., and critic of the mining proposal. “We intend to engage in this (environmental review) process with a high level of faith in its integrity, and we hope that faith will not result in disappointment.”
Read the entire article . . .