From the Associated Press, posted late Saturday, March 10, 2007 . . .

The Bush administration is challenging a coal mine proposed in British Columbia, saying it poses an environmental threat that could extend south of the border.

The mine that Cline Mining Co. proposed just north of Glacier National Park could cause “significant adverse environmental effects” the United States, the U.S. State Department said in a letter to the British Columbia government.

Montana officials say the open-pit mine would jeopardize water quality in the Flathead area, which includes Flathead Lake and other waters popular for recreation. The Flathead River system spans the international border, and the north fork of the river is Glacier’s western boundary.

The Flathead basin is “an area of unique and internationally recognized environmental importance,” Edward Alex Lee, Canadian affairs director in the State Department, said in the Feb. 23 letter.

Kate Thompson, spokeswoman for the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, did not comment Saturday. Thompson said she intended to discuss the letter with Garry Alexander, the official to whom it was addressed.

Phone messages left for Cline were not returned Saturday.

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