An Associated Press article carried in the Wednesday, December 19, 2007 online edition of the Flathead Beacon . . .

The Canadian government has formally announced plans to study a proposed coal mine just north of Glacier National Park, mining that has raised concern in Montana about transboundary environmental harm.

A notice the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency published last week says Fisheries and Oceans Canada must ensure that a comprehensive study of the Lodgepole Coal Mine, proposed for southeastern British Columbia, takes place. Canada’s Cline Mining Corp. wants to develop an open-pit mine requiring roads, rock dumps, a coal washing plant, a power-line corridor, a mine camp and fuel storage.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and others have expressed concern the mine would pollute water in the Flathead River system, which spans the British Columbia-Montana border. The Flathead’s North Fork forms the western boundary of Glacier Park, and Flathead water flows into Montana’s sprawling Flathead Lake. Critics of the mine say it threatens wildlife habitat, as well.

The mining proposal was before British Columbia regulators and will remain in their hands while also being examined at the federal level. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., announced in April that Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Wilson, confirmed the Cline project would be reviewed federally. The Bush administration challenged the coal project last winter.

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