January 27, 2007
Coal mine comments fill governor’s inbox
From the Saturday, January 27, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s office has been slammed with e-mails pertaining to proposed coal mining in the British Columbia headwaters that feed Montana’s Flathead River system.
The e-mail inbox at the governor’s constituency services office was overloaded with about 50,000 e-mails in the last week, Communications Director Sara Elliot said Friday.
Elliot said the office frequently gets e-mail “blasts” from various constituency groups, but the volume from the last week is unprecedented.
“It’s at least double what we normally get for blast e-mails,” she said. “It’s caused quite a backup in the computer system in our constituency services office.”
Read the entire article . . .
January 25, 2007
Canadians against Cline mine as well
From the Thursday, January 25, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
Canadian residents seem to be just as concerned about a proposed coal mine near Fernie, British Columbia, as their American counterparts.
A standing room only crowd attended a meeting in Fernie last week hosted by Cline Mining Co. About 25 people chose to make comments on the proposal. The meeting is one of the steps Cline must go through during an environmental assessment of the proposal for the Lodgepole mine.
Casey Brennan with Wildsight, questioned British Columbia's ability to protect the area and complete baseline scientific studies involved in the assessment. Wildsight is a Canadian group that works to protect Canada's Rocky Mountain region.
“A place as pristine as the Flathead deserves as much study as possible,” he said.
Read the entire article . . .
January 22, 2007
Big Canadian Coal Mine = Big Montana Problem!
This op-ed ran in the Daily Inter Lake on Friday, January 12. It is posted here by permission of the author, Dave Hadden.
To paraphrase baseball icon, Yogi Berra, the new Canadian coal strip mine proposed for the headwaters of the North Fork of the Flathead River is "deja vu all over again."
International coal mine companies first sought the coal of North Fork in 1975 with the Cabin Creek coal mine proposal. Our community coalition, the Flathead Coalition, formed that year to challenge the proposed mine's clear threat to Flathead Valley water and way of life.
More than a decade of intense public scrutiny and effort eventually killed that ill-considered project. The Flathead Coalition never disbanded. We recognized that as long as the coal remained in the ground, some multi-national mining conglomerate would come along and make another grab at it –- and once again threaten our clean water.
They're back.
Now Montana faces yet another mountain coal strip-mine proposal: the Cline Mining Company's Lodgepole Coal Mine, located on Foisey Creek, a major tributary of the North Fork Flathead River. The proposal is to remove a mountain, just 22 air miles north of the border, ship out the coal and leave behind the slag heaps.
Let's not mince words or understate the threat this mine poses to our water, wildlife and way of life. If the Cline mine proceeds we Montanans, sooner or later, will have a mess on our hands.
January 21, 2007
North Fork River Pollution Ignores Boundaries
A version of this commentary ran in the Daily Inter Lake Saturday, January 13, as an op-ed. It will likely appear in the Missoulian this Monday, January 22, before the Wednesday hearings. It is posted here by permission of the author, Ben Long.
Anyone who has hunted or fished or just explored up the North Fork of the Flathead learns one thing quickly — water, fish and wildlife don’t give a hoot about the border between the United States and Canada.
Elk, trout and other wildlife have dual citizenship, even if hunting and fishing licenses don’t apply equally on opposite sides of “the Medicine Line.” Mother Nature ignores human boundaries.
That is why many of us are deeply concerned about the giant, mountain-removal strip mine an international mining company has proposed 22 air miles north of the international border. The plan is to tear down a mountain, remove the coal, and leave the slag in the upper tributaries of the North Fork.
Experts from the University of Montana determined that water (and thus water pollution) seeping from the mine site would flow into Montana within hours. That same water, and whatever nastiness it carries, will pass under the Old Steel Bridge within days.
Canadians hopeful for talks on Cline mine
From the Sunday, January 21, 2007 online edition of the Missoulian . . .
Even as Gov. Brian Schweitzer looks to federal intervention in a transboundary dispute with British Columbia, his Canadian counterparts are seeking to resolve the issues locally.
“British Columbia recognizes and indeed shares many of Montana's concerns,” Canadian officials wrote to state lawmakers last week. “B.C. has maintained the position that issues are best resolved through an ongoing bilateral dialogue between B.C. and Montana.”
That's in sharp contrast to statements made earlier in the week by Schweitzer, who said during a meeting in Kalispell that collaborative efforts between the state and province seemed not to be working, and federal intervention would be needed.
“I was hoping we could work this out with British Columbia directly,” Schweitzer said Monday. “I haven't seen anything that looks like a collaborative agreement.”
Read the entire article . . .
"Water, wilderness and wildlife"
From the Sunday, January 21, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
The Flathead National Forest has been sizing up changes for its recreation program, including fee increases and cost reductions.
But the forest is proposing mostly minor changes during a five-year period, compared to site closures and fee increases that have been proposed on other national forests across the country.
The forest’s proposals will be the focus of an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the WestCoast Outlaw Hotel in Kalispell.
Read the entire article . . .
January 20, 2007
Public meetings in B.C. not going well for Cline Mining
According to a note on the Flathead Coalition website, during "the three Environmental Assessment Office public comment sessions in Fernie, Sparwood and Elko, not a single British Columbian spoke in favour of Cline Mining's scheme to undertake mountain-top removal coal mining in the headwaters of the Flathead River." See their website for more details, including a photo.
By and large, this matches reports we're getting from other meeting attendees. Local residents are not just objecting to the mine itself, but also to the attendant heavy truck traffic and load-out infrastructure.
January 19, 2007
Mine proposal stirs up controversy
From the Friday, January 19, 2007 online edition of the Kootenay Advertiser in Cranbrook, B.C. . . .
The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) of BC is holding a series of public hearings in the South Country and Elk Valley this week to collect input from people in the region on how to minimize the environmental impact of a proposed mining project in the Flathead Valley. The area of operations is located about 30 kilometres south of Fernie and Gary Alexander, Project Director with the EAO says the project is still in the early stages.
The proposal by Cline Mining to construct an open pit mine is in the pre-application stage right now, Alexander explains. The EAO is working with the proponent at this time to finalize the terms of reference. Alexander describes this document as “kind of like a table of contents” of areas that need to be addresses. The formal public comment period will be discussing the draft terms of reference.
Cline Mining wants to construct a conventional “trucks and shovels” open pit mine, similar to other operations in the Elk Valley, says Gordon Gomley, Chief Operating Officer for Cline Mining. He believes the mine would have great economic benefits for the province. He also sees many positive attributes this operation would have compared to others in the area. There is a compact deposit with a fit coal section, he explains, and only one dump area would be required.
[...]
Gomley hopes his company will get a chance to show government and the public the facts of the operation. Casey Brennan is the Program Manager for Energy and Mining with Wildsight in the Elk Valley. He says it is hard to find a local citizen’s group that is supportive of the mine.
“This place is a special area that needs protection,” Brennan claims and says politicians in BC need to be pressured to see that they need to change their two zone mining policy. It divides the Province in areas where mining is allowed on the one hand and protected areas, such as National and Provincial Parks on the other. Brennan emphasizes Wildsight is getting support from various individuals and organizations, including the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, hunting groups and guide outfitters as well as Governors and Senators from south of the border.
Read the entire article . . .
The Cline Mining Corporation plans to remove an entire ridge above Foisey Creek
From the Thursday, January 18, 2007 online edition of the Bigfork Eagle (includes a nice aerial photo) . . .
Flathead Lake’s water quality, fisheries and area wildlife could be seriously degraded if a Canada-based mining company gets its way, officials told a group of about 40 at a public meeting in Kalispell Monday evening.
The Cline Mining Corporation plans to remove a mountain ridge in southeastern British Columbia, about 25 miles north of the U.S. - Canada border, to extract two million tons of coal per year for 20 years, Flathead Basin Commission chair Rich Moy said during the meeting. The Lodgepole mine would be built above Foisey Creek, a tributary of Canada’s Flathead River headwaters, which flows into the North Fork along the western boundary of Glacier National Park and into Flathead Lake.
Sen. Max Baucus and Gov. Brian Schweitzer spoke to about 180 people on the same topic at a similar meeting Monday morning. Each expressed concern over the mine’s possible damage to Montana.
Moy and other panelists expressed deep concern about the proposed mine’s probable impacts on the Flathead Valley.
Read the entire article . . .
January 18, 2007
Conservation council criticizes Cline proposal
From the Thursday, January 18, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council on Wednesday unanimously endorsed a letter raising concerns about potential coal mining in British Columbia’s Flathead drainage.
The letter, drafted by Montana’s representatives on the council, was discussed at the council’s meeting in Vancouver, Wash. It will be sent to the British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office in Victoria.
“The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is deeply concerned about the potential of negative downriver impacts to fish, wildlife and overall water conditions in the Flathead and Columbia basins from the proposed Cline Mine just north of the Montana-British Columbia border on the North Fork of the Flathead River,” according to the letter.
“The council extensively funds mitigation projects for critical species in the Flathead drainage, including bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout, which will be impacted by the proposed mine,” it continues.
Read the entire article . . .
January 17, 2007
Montana governor, senator seek ways to stop B.C. coal mine
From the Tuesday, January 16, 2007 online edition of the Globe and Mail . . .
The U.S. and Canadian governments may have to intervene to stop a proposed coal mine north of Glacier National Park that critics fear would pollute water flowing into the park and the Flathead River, Montana Gov. Schweitzer said Monday.
“I think this is now going to be in the lap of the State Department,” Mr. Schweitzer said.
The U.S. State Department and the Canadian department of Foreign Affairs have the power to refer transboundary water disputes to an international commission for resolution. Two decades ago, another Canadian coal mine plan raised similar concerns — that mine pollutants would impact waterways south of the border.
Read the entire article . . .
Mine could impact everything from fish to grizzlies
From the Wednesday, January 17, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
Environmental experts continue to warn against the creation of a huge coal mine just north of the border.
The Cline Mining Corp. is proposing to create a coal mine in the North Fork of the Flathead. The company plans to mine coal from the open pit project for 20 years as well as upgrade a road system into the drainage.
Representatives from several state agencies spoke on the mine at a meeting Monday hosted by the Flathead Basin Commission in Kalispell.
“(Canada) has everything to gain. We have everything to lose if this mine goes through,” said Rich Moy, chairman of the commission.
Read the entire article . . .
Support sought for monitoring money
From the Wednesday, January 17, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
The Flathead Basin Commission is requesting help from the Montana Legislature to fund water quality and other studies of the proposed mine.
The Commission Monday asked residents to support House Bill 189, which would provide funding for baseline scientific data.
Doug Cordier, who represents House District 3 which includes Columbia Falls, is one of the sponsors of the bill.
The bill would spend about $300,000 to continue studying areas north of the border for two years. Also considered is funding the creation of an environmental specialist position to collect data and coordinate between Montana and British Columbia.
Read the entire article . . .
Coal mine takes center stage
From the Wednesday, January 17, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
Gov. Brian Schweitzer Monday promised to take the fight against a proposed coal mine in the Canadian Flathead to the federal level.
Sen. Max Baucus promised to pursue the matter as well. Both spoke at the Flathead Basin Commission's meeting on Cline Mining Co.'s proposal to dig a coal mine 22 miles north of Glacier National Park.
“I'm interested in developing alternative sources of energy, but this is not what has been proposed in the upper Flathead,” Schweitzer told a crowd of about 200 people.
The mine has been a controversial proposal with area groups saying it would impact the Flathead River drainage.
The mine would take off the top of a mountain in the Foisey Creek drainage, which is a tributary of the North Fork of the Flathead.
Schweitzer said he would ask the federal government to intervene.
Read the entire article . . .
Mining impact must be assessed
A strong editorial statement appearing in the Wednesday, January 17, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
The urgency and tenor of opposition to potential coal mining in the Canadian headwaters of the Flathead Basin has reached a new pitch.
And rightly so. The Flathead river system and Flathead Lake cannot become the septic system for Canadian mining profits, but that’s exactly what it would become if coal mining is allowed to proceed in the Canadian Flathead.
The British Columbia government went through the motions of including a delegation from Montana to help develop terms and conditions that the Cline Mining Co. must meet in developing its own environmental assessment for an open pit coal mine 22 miles north of the border.
But the Montana delegation’s recommendations were ignored. The proposed terms only require Cline to assess environmental impacts in the immediate vicinity of the mining operation, without any broader study of the impacts of the mine or of future mining operations that might follow.
Read the entire article . . .
January 16, 2007
B.C. mine proposal runs into flak in U.S.
The local Cline Mine public meetings are getting some coverage in Canada. Here's an article from the Tuesday, January 16, 2007 online edition of the CBC News . . .
Hundreds of residents of Montana turned out at a public meeting Monday night to speak against a controversial coal mine proposed in southeastern B.C. near the Canada-U.S. border.
Canadian-based Cline Mining plans to develop a mine in the Flathead Valley, just upstream from the Montana border.
If the B.C. government gives final approval to the mine near the mountain resort community of Fernie, it would produce two million tonnes of coal a year from a valley renowned for its abundance of wildlife and lack of development.
The company says the mine will meet B.C.'s environmental standards. But many Montana residents have expressed fears it will pollute their pristine mountain valley.
Read the entire article . . .
Mine fight may go to higher level
From the Tuesday, January 16, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
Gov. Brian Schweitzer says Montana’s issues with proposed coal mine development in British Columbia’s Flathead drainage will have to be taken to the federal level.
And Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., says he will pursue the matter at that level in several ways.
The two headlined a meeting Monday in Kalispell organized by the Flathead Basin Commission to drum up Montana comments for a British Columbia environmental review process.
The Toronto-based Cline Mining Co. wants to develop a mountaintop removal mine above Foisey Creek, a tributary that flows into Canada’s Flathead River, which becomes the North Fork Flathead River as it flows south of the border, eventually into Flathead Lake.
Schweitzer told a crowd of about 180 people that his efforts to convince the British Columbia government to address Montana concerns have not been as successful as he had hoped.
“I was hoping that we could work this out with British Columbia directly,” he said. “But for the life of me, I’ve been looking for the things that would amount to a collaborative agreement and I haven’t seen anything that looks like a collaborative agreement.”
Read the entire article . . .
State to seek federal intervention on Canadian coal mine
From the Tuesday, January 16, 2007 online edition of the Missoulian . . .
A controversial coal mine proposal north of Glacier National Park is fast becoming an international point of contention, and may soon require federal attention from both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border.
That's the word from Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who on Monday told a crowd of more than 200 that although he appreciates the ongoing collaborative efforts with British Columbian officials, “I think this is now going to be in the lap of the State Department.”
The U.S. State Department and its Canadian counterpart have the power to refer transboundary water disputes to an international commission for resolution. Two decades ago, a similar Canadian coal mine plan raised similar concerns - specifically that mine pollutants would impact waterways south of the border.
The two federal governments intervened, empowering a binational panel that declared the mine unworkable in 1988.
That level of consideration, Schweitzer said, appears needed again.
Read the entire article . . .
January 15, 2007
Many Cline Mine resources available online
For those of you who will be submitting comments on the proposed Cline Coal Mine or are planning to attend one of the public meetings or just want to learn more on the subject, there are some excellent online sites maintained by a number of local organizations.
As mentioned in an earlier posting, the Flathead Basin Commission is developing a substantial collection of resources. It includes photographs, maps, background information and links to current materials and news about this project.
The Flathead Lakers have also posted an alert, as well as a great deal of subsidiary material.
This site, too, has links to many articles discussing the Cline Mine issue, the schedule of public meetings and how to take advantage of the comment period. As of this date, a search brings up some 52 posts concerning this potential threat to water quality in the Flathead drainage.
January 14, 2007
Montanans can comment on Canadian mine
From the Sunday, January 14, 2007 online edition of the Missoulian . . .
A controversial proposal to mine coal north of Glacier National Park continues to generate downstream concern, prompting public meetings in both Kalispell and Missoula this month.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., will attend the first of those meetings, set for Monday morning in Kalispell. Organizers will collect comments on the scope of environmental assessment needed before a Canadian coal mine can be built in southeastern British Columbia.
The region has long been contentious, with the state and province sparring over the future of industrial development in sensitive watersheds. Two decades back, an international commission recommended mining plans be dropped there due to the likelihood of pollution flowing south of the border.
British Columbia's Flathead River Basin drains into Montana's North Fork Flathead River, a wild and scenic waterway forming the western edge of Glacier Park before spilling into Flathead Lake.
Montana officials have fought coal mine development there since the late 1970s.
The most recent proposal, by Cline Mining Corp., involves a mountaintop-removal mine generating 2 million tons of coal per year for 20 years. If approved, it would be built in the headwaters of the Flathead River system, about 20 miles north of the park.
Read the entire article . . .
Mine plans take center stage on Monday
From the Sunday, January 14, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
The Flathead Basin Commission will hold meetings in Kalispell on Monday aimed at gathering comments from Montanans on a proposed open-pit coal mine in British Columbia’s Flathead River drainage.
That river flows south, crossing the border to become the North Fork Flathead River. The Flathead Basin Commission, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Glacier National Park and other state and federal agencies have raised concerns about impacts that could result from the Cline Mining Co.’s proposed mine, which would tower over headwater streams that lead to Flathead Lake.
The British Columbia provincial government is conducting a public comment process to get input on the terms and conditions that Cline must meet when it develops an environmental assessment for the project.
The draft “terms of reference” have been unsatisfactory to officials south of the border, mainly because they would require that Cline only assess impacts in the immediate vicinity of the mine site. They are concerned that there could be far broader impacts to transboundary populations of fish, wildlife and water quality.
Read the entire article . . .
January 13, 2007
Commissioners endorse funding for mine research
From the Wednesday, January 10, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
The Flathead County commissioners unanimously endorsed legislation Tuesday that would provide funding for Montana’s ongoing engagement with British Columbia about potential coal mining in the headwaters of the North Fork Flathead River.
The vote follows a similar endorsement from the Lake County commissioners.
“We believe that this funding is imperative to safeguard the economic and environmental integrity of water quality and other natural resources,” the commissioners said in their written endorsement of House Bill 189.
Sponsored by Rep. Doug Cordier, D-Columbia Falls, the bill would provide funding for continued studies to gather “baseline” data on environmental conditions in the North Fork on both sides of the border. It also would provide funding for state officials’ travel to British Columbia for ongoing negotiations about resource development with potential impacts in Montana.
Read the entire article . . .
January 10, 2007
Cline mine meeting next week in Kalispell
From the Wednesday, January 10, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
The Flathead Basin Commission has announced it will lead a meeting of its own on a proposed coal mine 22 miles north of Glacier National Park in British Columbia.
Montana Sen. Max Baucus is expected to kick off the meeting Jan. 15 at the Red Lion Hotel in Kalispell from 9 a.m. to noon. A second session will also be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on the same date. Gov. Brian Schweitzer is also expected to attend. Both representatives are expected at the morning session.
Comments on the mine will be taken and forwarded to the British Columbia Environmental Offices, said Caryn Miske, executive director of the Commission.
Miske said written comments will also be accepted and they, too, will be forwarded to British Columbia as well.
The prospects for the mine have raised a red flag in the U.S. and Canada.
The Cline mine, in short, would take off the top of a mountain in the Foisey Creek drainage, a tributary to the North Fork of the Flathead.
The company plans to mine coal from the open pit project for 20 years as well as upgrade a road system into the drainage. They plan on removing about 250,000 metric tons of coal per year.
The company claims the mine is far enough away from the Flathead River and Glacier National Park to minimize impacts.
American interests aren't buying that notion, however.
Read the entire article . . .
Canadian coal mine plan under scrutiny
From the Wednesday, January 10, 2007 online edition of the Billings Gazette . . .
A coal mine proposal for southeastern British Columbia will be examined here Monday at a public meeting the governor and Montana's senior U.S. senator plan to attend.
The session is an opportunity for the public to provide comments, which will be sent to the provincial government "as part of Montana's ongoing effort to make B.C. aware of opposition" to the mine, the Flathead Basin Commission said.
The Montana-based commission announced the meeting, which Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., plans to attend along with Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
Canada's Cline Mining Co. wants to develop an open-pit coal project just north of the Montana-British Columbia border. The provincial government has prepared draft terms and conditions that would be required in operating the mine, but Montana officials find the draft unsatisfactory.
In Montana, the mine has raised concern about effects on the quality of water in the transboundary Flathead River system. The North Fork flows into Montana's Flathead Lake and serves as the western boundary of Glacier National Park.
Speakers at the meeting are to include representatives of the park, state and federal wildlife agencies and the Flathead Lake Biological Station. The commission said the meeting is part of its effort "to inform Montana residents of the range of environmental threats posed by the proposed mining project."
The meeting Monday at the Red Lion Hotel in Kalispell is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Baucus and Schweitzer plan to be at the early session. A similar meeting is scheduled for Jan. 24 in Missoula.
Read the entire article . . .
January 05, 2007
Coal taking center stage next week
From the Friday, January 5, 2007 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., will headline one of two meetings Jan. 15 in Kalispell on coal-mine development in British Columbia’s Flathead drainage.
In a significant development, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council is taking up the issue at its meeting this month.
Two meetings are scheduled Jan. 15 at the Red Lion Hotel Kalispell — one from 9 a.m. to noon, and a second from 7 to 9 p.m.
Schweitzer and Baucus will attend the early meeting, said Caryn Miske, executive director of the Flathead Basin Commission, a state agency that is organizing Montana comments to be submitted to the British Columbia provincial government.
Miske said an additional meeting will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Doubletree Hotel in Missoula.
The meetings will include presentations from representatives of Glacier National Park, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the University of Montana’s Yellow Bay Biological Station. Opportunities for public comment will be available.
British Columbia, in cooperation with the Cline Mining Co., is holding meetings this month in Elko, Sparwood and Fernie, B.C.. Those meetings will gather comments on draft terms and conditions that the mining company must meet in developing an environmental assessment for its proposed open-pit coal mine in the headwaters of the Flathead River, which flows south into Montana’s Flathead Basin.
Although the Canadian meetings were advertised in Montana newspapers, Miske said it would be difficult for many Montanans to get to those venues.
“We felt it was necessary to give folks the opportunity to comment here,” she said.
Read the entire article . . .
January 04, 2007
Judge to Park inholder: take a hike (or ski)
From the Thursday, January 4, 2007 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
A federal judge has ruled that a North Fork inholder has no easement rights to access his property by vehicle in Glacier National Park in the winter months.
In early November, U.S. Judge Donald Molloy ruled in favor of the Park Service, in short saying that John (Jack) McFarland's property rights have not been violated by a Park Service decision that requires him to ski, snowshoe or ride a horse to his land wholly inside Glacier in the winter.
Read the entire article . . .
January 03, 2007
New Cline Coal Mine information site debuts
The Flathead Basin Commission is developing a substantial online collection of resources on the proposed Cline Coal Mine. It includes photographs, maps, background information and links to current materials and news about this project, which is the most immediate potential threat to water quality in the transboundary Flathead watershed.
We've added a permanent link to this site in the "Related Links" section of our home page.
December 24, 2006
Now in Your Backyard
The Saturday, December 23, 2006 online edition of the Vancouver Sun published a good overview of energy development efforts and trends in British Columbia. It provides important context for the threats posed by coal mining and coalbed methane development to the transboundary Flathead watershed . . .
In a province long defined by forestry and mining -- and their many accompanying controversies -- energy is the next big sector. Coal-fired electricity plants and coalbed methane wells are popping up in communities around B.C.
Sometime next month, the Liberal government of B.C. is expected to introduce a new package of policies dealing with B.C.'s future in the realm of energy.
Expect controversy.
Since the previous version of the B.C. Energy Plan was introduced a little over four years ago, the sector encompassing everything from a $5-billion a year natural gas exploration industry to a wish list of wind-generated electricity projects has emerged as the most dynamic of all of the province's resource-based sectors.
Corporate tax incentives and hungry market forces are opening new frontiers for exploration of fossil fuels such as natural gas and coalbed methane.
Read the entire article . . .
December 22, 2006
BC launching review of Cline Mine
From the Friday, December 22, 2006 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
British Columbia is about to open a public-comment process on the terms and conditions that will be required of a proposed coal mine in the headwaters of the Flathead Basin.
But state and federal officials in Montana are unsatisfied with the draft “terms of reference” for the Toronto-based Cline Mining Co.’s Lodgepole Mine, so the state likely will conduct a public-comment process of its own.
Rich Moy, chairman of Montana’s Flathead Basin Commission, said the British Columbia provincial government essentially “ignored” recommendations that a Montana delegation submitted on the draft terms of reference.
“We’re appreciative that British Columbia allowed us to participate in the regulatory process regarding the Cline mine,” he said. “We would have hoped that British Columbia would have incorporated our comments, but they did not ... Basically, for the most part, they ignored our issues.”
So the basin commission and other groups in Montana are ramping up a campaign aimed at educating the public about potential ecological impacts that mining in the Canadian Flathead could have south of the border.
Read the entire article . . .
December 15, 2006
Cline takes offensive in Montana
Early this morning, John Frederick posted some useful observations concerning the just-announced call by the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office for public comment on the proposed Lodgepole Coal Mine Project. Here are his comments, lightly edited for content. (I love it when someone else does my work for me).
For the last five years or so people have asked me what can they do about the proposed Cline Mining Corporation project in the Flathead of British Columbia, which originally was to be located at the site of an earlier mine project we called the Cabin Creek Mine in the U.S. and more properly known as Sage Creek Coal in Canada. In 1989, the earlier mine at this location at Howell and Cabin Creek was rejected by the International Joint Commission as being unsuitable. Next, Cline moved and started exploration on a mountain top with the idea of removing the mountain top to obtain the coal for their proposed Lodgepole Coal Mine Project. However, Foisey Creek flows down this mountain and any silt finding its way into the creek (for instance from the especially-heavy spring run-off) will go into the North Fork of the Flathead River which is known in British Columbia as the Flathead River.
Now is your chance to write to the British Columbia Office of Environmental Assessment. Be certain to carefully read the announcement. You must give reasons why this mine is bad, not just that you don't like it, or your letter may be ignored. See the Flathead Coalition and NFPA websites for more background.
IMPORTANT! Public comment opens January 2 on Lodgepole Coal Mine Project
The British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office announced the opening of a public comment period on the Lodgepole Cole Mine Project "Draft Terms of Reference (TOR)." Here are the highlights:
- They are soliciting comments from the Montana public.
- The comment period runs from January 2, 2007 to February 1, 2007.
- An electronic copy of the draft TOR, as well as information regarding the environmental assessment process, are available at www.eao.gov.bc.ca.
- Printed copies of the draft TOR are availiable at several Flathead Valley libraries (see below for the list).
- A series of open houses and public meetings will be held in British Columbia in mid-January (again, see below for details).
We've posted the full text of the announcement following the break. It is also available for download in PDF format, suitable for printing.
Continue reading "IMPORTANT! Public comment opens January 2 on Lodgepole Coal Mine Project"
December 14, 2006
Canada seeks input on North Fork coal
From the Thursday, December 14, 2006 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
A plan to mine coal about 22 miles north of Glacier National Park's border has entered a more formal public comment stage.
The Cline Mining Corporation is running ads this week in area newspapers detailing the mine and invites “the Montana public” to comment on the project in a document called the Terms of Reference, which is an outline that identifies environmental and cultural concerns with the project.
The mine, in short, would take off the top of a mountain in the Foisey Creek drainage, a tributary to the North Fork of the Flathead.
The company plans to mine coal from the open pit project for 20 years as well as upgrade a road system into the drainage.
Read the entire article . . .
December 11, 2006
Congress permanently bans new oil and gas leases on Rocky Mountain Front
From the Sunday, December 10, 2006 online edition of the Great Falls Tribune . . .
A permanent ban on oil, gas and mineral exploration along Montana's Rocky Mountain Front was included in a last-minute package of tax breaks and other legislation that cleared Congress early Saturday. The legislation is now headed to President Bush, who must sign it for it to take effect.
"We expect him to do that. He has not indicated otherwise," said Barrett Kaiser, aide to Sen. Max Baucus, D.-Mont.
The bill passed the Senate by a 79-9 vote.
"This is a major, major victory for Montana. We've been working to pass meaningful protections for the Rocky Mountain Front for 30 years," said Baucus, who added the provision to the larger tax package in the final days of the Senate session.
We finally got it done. We finally protected the Rocky Mountain Front forever," he added. "Thirty years from now, our kids and grandchildren will thank us."
The drilling provision makes permanent a 1997 moratorium on Rocky Mountain Front exploration and makes it easier to retire existing leases.
Read the entire article . . .
November 07, 2006
Proposed coalbed methane drilling sets off deep unrest
Our friends at the Citizens Concerned about Coalbed Methane (CCCBM) in Fernie, BC, point to a very interesting editorial that appeared in the Monday, November 6, 2006 online edition of the Vancouver Globe and Mail . . .
VANCOUVER -- When 400 people took to the streets of Smithers recently to protest against proposed coal-bed methane development in the Bulkley Valley, it was a signal of deep unrest in the heartlands.
Smithers, for those who haven't been lucky enough to visit, is a picturesque little town where the people are relaxed, openly friendly and clearly in love with the magnificent landscape that surrounds them. They hike, they ski, they hunt and they fish in the great salmon rivers that flow out of the Hazelton and Skeena Mountains.
The people in the Bulkley Valley appreciate how important resource development is. They see logging and mining trucks daily on the highway that runs through town. Pull up a chair in a coffee shop in Smithers and there is a good chance someone at the next table will have muddy boots on.
These are hard-working folk, in touch with the land, who are the epitome of the heartlands with which this government likes to identify. And when they get mad enough to spill out into the streets, you can bet something has gone wrong with government outreach.
Opposition to a government proposal to open the area to coal-bed methane drilling -- which extracts gas from coal beds and produces huge volumes of waste water containing salt and metals -- has been building for the past year. So has the sense that the people of the Bulkley Valley aren't being listened to by Victoria.
Read the full text at the CCCBM site . . .
November 06, 2006
SAVE DON’T PAVE!
North Fork landowners will soon receive a survey from the North Fork Landowner Association on maintenance of the North Fork Road. Be sure to complete the survey.
In case dust has fogged your vision and your commitment to gravel is wavering, don’t forget . . .
North Forkers accept a measure of inconvenience for the joy of living in one of the most spectacular places in the world. Outdoor privies, finicky generators, trucked-in propane, and our blessed (and cursed) gravel road—these are the small prices we pay to keep the North Fork special.
Paving the North Fork Road will undermine precisely what makes this community extraordinary. Paving will increase crowds and traffic, reduce wildlife, and change us forever. Consider this: Polebridge is a mere 35 miles from the nearest strip mall and the skyrocketing growth of the Flathead Valley. Paving will transform us from a rural haven to another cookie-cutter suburb.
With pavement, developers will descend upon the North Fork. Paving would encourage many more people to live here year-round, because commuting to the valley would suddenly be appealing. Urbanites who don’t understand our way of life will rush in, bringing more -- and much faster -- traffic with them.
Engineers know paved roads promote greater speed and cause more accidents involving humans, pets and wildlife. Pavement will trigger more fatal wrecks. In contrast, engineers know gravel roads are much safer than paved roads -- because people slow down.
North Forkers will always welcome a well-maintained gravel road, especially with dust abatement, but pavement between Canyon Creek and Camas would make it impossible to maintain our special way of life. The changes paving would bring are too heavy a price to pay for the "convenience" of a smoother ride.
Paving proponents are again organizing, and ratcheting up the pressure. To preserve the peace and tranquility of the North Fork, fill out and mail the survey today. Urge your pro-gravel friends to do the same.
SAVE DON’T PAVE!
