MONTANA PUBLIC COMMENT FACT SHEET                                            

PROPOSED OPEN-PIT COAL MINE ON THE FLATHEAD RIVER          

 

The Cline Mining Corporation is proposing an open-pit coal mine in the headwaters of the Flathead River of British Columbia. The Flathead River is an international watershed, originating in British Columbia and flowing south into Montana where it forms the western boundary of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Cline proposes to remove 2 million tons of coal per year for over twenty years. The proposed mine would involve mountain-top removal, with waste dumps, settling ponds and the actual pit sitting in the headwaters of the Flathead River.

The Environmental Assessment process for the proposed mine is underway, and the Environmental Assessment Office of British Columbia is taking public comment on the proposal from January 2^nd – February 1^st, 2007.

 

What to include in your public comments:

 

Ø     The Flathead River in NOT an appropriate location for coal mining.

 

Ø     The impacts of the proposed mine cannot be mitigated due to the location of the mine at the headwaters of a transboundary river, and the scale of the project is simply unacceptable.

 

Ø     Impacts of the proposed mine will extend downriver to the entire Flathead Basin and beyond, impacting Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and the Clark Fork River.

 

Ø     Contaminated water from the proposed mine would migrate to Flathead Lake within 48 hours of discharge from the mine.

 

Ø     The proposed mine threatens migratory westslope cutthroat and bull trout populations, which migrate from Flathead Lake in Montana, to the headwaters of the Flathead River in B.C.

 

Ø     The proposed mine threatens grizzly bear and other carnivore populations that are shared between British Columbia, Alberta and Montana.

 

Ø     Insist that Cline conduct a thorough, basin-scale environmental impact assessment that includes a minimum of 3-5 years of baseline data collection in the Flathead Basin, in both British Columbia AND Montana.

 

Ø     B.C. does not currently possess sufficient information to accurately determine the impacts of the proposed mine on fish, wildlife and the entire Flathead Basin

 

Comments can be sent to:         Gary Alexander, Project Assessment Office

                                                Environmental Assessment Office

                                                P.O. Box 9426 Stn. Prov. Govt.

                                                Victoria, BC Canada V8W 9V1

                                                Fax:  250-356-6448

                                                Email:  eaoinfo@gov.bc.ca

 

The Flathead Basin Commission will track comments submitted by US stakeholders, so please send a copy of your comments to fbc@mt.gov or fax them to 406-752-2843.

 

For detailed information regarding the proposed open-pit coal mine and the State of Montana's comments to date please refer to www.flatheadbasincommission.org

What you can do to help:

 

 

Ø     Attend one of the public meetings, and submit written and/or oral testimony.  If you cannot attend the meetings, written testimony can still be submitted to the above address. 

 

The Flathead Basin Commission is sponsoring public meetings to facilitate citizen comment on the proposed open pit coal mine.  Meetings will be held as follows:

 

January 15^th - Red Lion Hotel in Kalispell from 9-12 am and 7-9 pm

 

January 24^th - Missoula from 7-10 pm (location TBD). 

 

Public meetings sponsored by Cline will be held in British Columbia as follows:

 

            January 16^th - Elko Community Hall, Elko, BC

 

January 17^th - Sparwood Recreation Centre, 367 Pine Ave., Sparwood, BC

 

            January 18^th - Best Western Hotel, 1622-7^th Ave., Fernie, BC

 

For the meetings in British Columbia, open houses will be held from 3-7 pm, and public meetings will be held from 7-9 pm.

 

 

Ø     Support the efforts of the Flathead Basin Commission (FBC) in the 2007 legislative session to ensure that the legislature sets aside adequate funding for critically needed baseline monitoring in the Flathead Basin by contacting your legislators and testifying at legislative hearings in support of the pending FBC bill.

 

Please refer to http://flatheadbasincommission.org for detailed and up-to-date information regarding the status of FBC's legislative efforts and how you can help.