Baucus to lead talks over British Columbia mining plans

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., will lead a group of Montanans to Fernie, British Columbia, on Friday to meet with Canadian officials and discuss proposed coal mining activity and potential downstream water quality impacts in Montana.

Baucus staffer Barrett Kaiser said dozens of Montanans are expected to accompany the senator on the trip, which is aimed at expressing opposition to coal mining in British Columbia that would "have no economic benefits - only environmental consequences - for Montana."

In January, the B.C. Ministry of Energy and Mines gave Cline Mining Corp. a permit to do exploratory mining in the Foisey Creek basin, an upper tributary to the North Fork Flathead River.

Baucus and other Montana officials have expressed frustration that the provincial government did not notify the state of the exploration activities, which are already under way.

Friday's meeting is being hosted by Fernie Mayor Randall Macnair. Other Canadian officials, community advocates and business leaders have been invited.

"They've been invited up and down the ranks and Max hopes very much that somebody from the provincial government will be there," Kaiser said. "Because after all, he wants to work together to get this resolved in a way that's beneficial to folks both in B.C. and Montana."

Baucus invited representatives of the 2,500-member Flathead Lakers, the Flathead Basin Commission, the National Parks Conservation Association, the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and the Flathead Coalition, a group that formed in direct response to potential mining activity in the Canadian Flathead.

Participants will meet at the First Interstate Bank parking lot in Eureka at 10:30 a.m. Friday. The group will then caravan to Fernie for meetings scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.