[6] Power Council Wades Into BC Coal Mine Controversy

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council agreed last week to send a letter to the British Columbia provincial government voicing its concern over the potential negative impacts to resources in Montana's Flathead Basin from a proposed coal mine just north of the U.S.-Canada border.

The Council is worried that the current process hasn't gathered enough information to determine these impacts. They said any assessment needs to include potential impacts south of the proposed mine site.

"While others may question the possibility of protecting the river from the negative impacts associated with a proposed mine in the headwaters, the Council finds that it is not possible to consider that question without additional information," the Jan. 18 letter stated.

The letter said water quality changes from the mining operations could threaten Montana's bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.

Montana Council member Bruce Measure said the Cline mine proposal was the newest in a number of "mountaintop removal" mine proposals by BC's ministry of the environment. He said Montana and other entities have asked the ministry "to open up commentary on what should be included in their environmental assessment by the company to folks south of the border."

In British Columbia, Measure said, the process is to license mining facilities to individual companies, who are then free to begin mining after they have gone through an environmental review done by the company itself.

Measure said the previous federal and provincial governments had held up proposals, but the change in Canada's federal government has presented mine supporters an opportunity to move the project forward.

The Cline mine is projected to produce 2 million tons of coal a year for 20 years. Montana Council staffer Kerry Berg said his state's representative for the fish, wildlife and parks department has already testified that if the proposal went through, there would be impacts to fish and wildlife in the Flathead Basin. -B. R.

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