From the Saturday, July 10, 2004 issue of the Missoulian . . .
British Columbia's government has announced plans to auction off coalbed methane rights north of Glacier National Park, despite requests that environmental studies be completed before the leases are sold.
The auction period opened this week, and will close Aug. 25. The winning methane development companies will be granted "tenure," which not only gives them a five-year right to explore but also comes with an obligation to do so.
The exploration permits can later be upgraded to development permits as companies propose formal plans for the methane fields.
The plan to develop coal and coalbed methane in southeastern British Columbia has proved contentious on both sides of the international line. A previous proposal to strip mine coal some six miles from Glacier's northern border was scrapped this spring amid outcry from both Canada and the United States.
South of the border, residents worried that mining waste would flow downstream; the planned mine was to be built in the headwaters of the Flathead River system.
Those same headwaters flow out of the landscape now targeted for coalbed methane exploration.
Read the entire article . . .
Posted by nfpa at July 10, 2004 08:24 PM