Baucus (D-MT) launches battle against Glacier-area mine

Baucus launches battle against Glacier-area mine
By The Standard Staff - 04/30/2004


The North Fork of the Flathead River flows
south Friday along the west boundary of Glacier
National Park, at right, north of Blankenship.
Sen. Max Baucus, who opposed plans two decades
ago for a coal mine just north of the park, said
Friday he will oppose renewed efforts by another
Canadian company to dig for coal in the same area.

KALISPELL — Sen. Max Baucus, who opposed plans two decades ago for a coal mine just north of Glacier National Park, said Friday he will oppose renewed efforts by another Canadian company to dig for coal in the same area.

Baucus, D-Mont., said he has asked the U.S. State Department to review a 1988 decision by the International Joint Commission that led to the original coal mine being shelved because of environmental concerns.

He said he wants to know if the Canadian government has provided any information suggesting the concerns noted by that commission have been addressed.

‘‘I hope you agree that such a demonstration by the Canadian government is essential before this mine is allowed to go forward,'' Baucus wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell.

More at the Butte Montana Standard

It may be hard, considering _Bush LOVES plans that both make money, and devastate the landscape, especially if there is heavy water pollution as an obvious side-effect.

.....runs through the "wildest valley" in the lower 48 states. Grizzly and black bears, cougars, bobcats, lynx, badgers, wolverines, golden and bald eagles, large herds of deer and elk, moose.

I was up there yesterday for a bicycle ride on a gravel road that parallels the river inside Glacier Park. It's a phenomenal place.

I disagree with Max Baucus about a lot of things but I'm VERY glad he's getting involved with this.

I think you are the 7th or 8th :-)

I've noticed 7 or 8 as well but so far I'm the only one up in the northwest (Flathead County), as far as I know.

I know a few are in the Missoula area, I'm in Bozeman, and we have a few around Billings, and I know at least one in the vast "Eastern Montana" portion of the state :-)