From the Thursday, March 30, 2006 online edition of the Missoulian . . .
A Canadian company hoping to mine coal just north of Glacier National Park has agreed to give concerned Montana officials more details about the project, the state water management chief said Thursday.
About a dozen people from Montana went to British Columbia this week for a meeting with representatives of Cline Mining Co., and the provincial and Canadian governments.
Rich Moy, chief of the state Water Management Bureau, said he left encouraged even though Cline's information about design and operation of the proposed mine was "sketchy." The company agreed to provide more information in April, Moy said.
"We're not asking for any new information on the mine design," he said. "We just want them to do a better job of describing it for us. It's information they already have."
Read the entire article . . .
This excellent article on the history and current health of Flathead Lake appeared in the Wednesday, March 29, 2006 online edition of the Bigfork Eagle. There is also discussion of risks to lake water quality, including mining and coalbed methane development in the transboundary North Fork . . .
Flathead Lake water is some of the cleanest in the world according to Dr. Jack Stanford, director of the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station at Yellow Bay.
Stanford addressed a crowd of Flathead Valley citizens Sunday in the latest John White Series talk offered by the Northwest Montana Historical Society at the Museum at Central School in Kalispell.
Stanford's lecture "Flathead Lake: Purity on the Edge" provided a glimpse of the past, present and future health of Flathead Lake. A summary of nearly 30 years of biological station research presented a marvelous yet sobering understanding of the most prominent challenges and threats to the lake, as well as the multitude of natural dynamics that support the lake's high water quality.
Read the entire article . . .
From the Thursday, March 30, 2006 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
The public comment period has been extended for an initiative that would sell off national forest lands to pay for a federal program that provides funding to counties and schools.
Mark Rey, Department of Agriculture undersecretary, announced Wednesday that the comment period, which expires today, would be extended to May 1. He said the extension was prompted by requests from lawmakers and the public.
Read the entire article . . .
From the Wednesday, March 29, 2006 online edition of the Hungry Horse News . . .
One thing is clear: Something needs to be done about proposed coal mines in the Canadian Flathead.
That was the message at last week's annual meeting of the Flathead Coalition.
What specifically should be done is still rather murky.
Members of the Coalition and other concerned groups came together to discuss proposed development for the area.
Read the entire article . . .
From the Wednesday, March 22, 2006 online edition of the Missoulian . . .
Representatives of British Columbia and Montana will gather at a Canadian resort next week to examine a mining proposal that triggered another flare-up over management of the transboundary Flathead River Basin.
British Columbia last month invited Montana to participate in an environmental review after Cline Mining Co.'s proposal to extract coal just north of Glacier National Park raised alarm in the state. Concerns center on possible harm to the Flathead River system. Its North Fork crosses the U.S.-Canada border, serves as Glacier's western boundary and is a regional stronghold for rare fish.
The first in what may be a series of meetings is scheduled for Tuesday at the St. Eugene Mission Resort near Cranbrook, British Columbia.
Tasks include deciding the breadth of an environmental assessment. Proposals range from an assessment that covers the immediate area of the mine, to Montana's preference for one that would examine mining's effect on the Flathead basin.
Read the entire article . . .
From the Thursday, March 16, 2006 online edition of the Missoulian . . .
Proposed industrial development in southeastern British Columbia will be on the agenda during the annual meeting of the Flathead Coalition, a group that monitors the condition of the Flathead River watershed on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.
A panel discussion about proposals for more open-pit coal mining in the province is scheduled for the meeting Wednesday in Kalispell.
During the past two years, the coalition has challenged proposed Canadian energy projects in the Flathead watershed. The group, Gov. Brian Schweitzer and his predecessor in the governor's office, Judy Martz, have expressed concerns that industrial activity in British Columbia would harm the North Fork of the Flathead River. The North Fork flows into Montana's Flathead Lake and serves as the western boundary of Glacier National Park.
Read the entire article . . .
Editorial commentary from the Friday, March 3, 2006 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
It may seem like a token gesture, but the British Columbia provincial government’s invitation for Montana to be represented on a panel reviewing a mining project in the Canadian Flathead is actually quite significant.
Canada, after all, is a sovereign nation that has no obligation to include Montana in its internal affairs. But in this case, the B.C. government is recognizing that there are valid external interests in the Cline Mining Corp. project on Foisey Creek. And there is an implied recognition that mining development in the Canadian Flathead may have effects that cross the border.
Now Montana will be represented on the panel that sets terms and conditions for the environmental review that will precede mine development. That’s more than neighborly of provincial officials, and Montana will benefit from having a voice in the process.
From the Friday, March 3, 2006 online edition of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
A task force charged with recommending direction for roadless areas in the Flathead National Forest has produced divergent opinions — a majority calling for management flexibility and a minority urging protection for roadless lands.
The task force was formed by the Flathead County Commission in a response to Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s call for county-by-county suggestions for roadless management. Schweitzer plans to submit a petition with recommendations for roadless areas to the Forest Service by December, as requested by the Bush administration.
Read the entire article . . .