From the Monday, June 2, 2008 online edition of the Missoulian . . .

A Canadian coal company hoping to open a massive mine north of Glacier National Park has encountered a powerful new critic – Sen. Barack Obama.

Obama, who was back under the Big Sky campaigning for president on Friday, has joined Montana’s bipartisan congressional delegation in opposition to the mining proposal, “and that’s important, because whoever becomes our next president will have a direct role to play, in terms of presenting this issue in an international forum.”

So said Will Hammerquist, the local representative for the National Parks Conservation Association.

About a month ago, Hammerquist met with Obama during a campaign stop in Missoula. He had the senator’s attention for only a couple minutes, he said, but it was “just enough time to brief him on the issue.”

Read the entire article . . .