Mine plans take center stage on Monday

The Daily Inter Lake

The Flathead Basin Commission will hold meetings in Kalispell on Monday aimed at gathering comments from Montanans on a proposed open-pit coal mine in British Columbia's Flathead River drainage.

That river flows south, crossing the border to become the North Fork Flathead River. The Flathead Basin Commission, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Glacier National Park and other state and federal agencies have raised concerns about impacts that could result from the Cline Mining Co.'s proposed mine, which would tower over headwater streams that lead to Flathead Lake.

The British Columbia provincial government is conducting a public comment process to get input on the terms and conditions that Cline must meet when it develops an environmental assessment for the project.

The draft "terms of reference" have been unsatisfactory to officials south of the border, mainly because they would require that Cline only assess impacts in the immediate vicinity of the mine site. They are concerned that there could be far broader impacts to transboundary populations of fish, wildlife and water quality.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., are scheduled to attend the first public meeting at the Red Lion Hotel Kalispell from 9 a.m. to noon Monday.

Another meeting will be held at the same venue from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday.

A third meeting will be in Missoula on Jan. 24 at the Doubletree Hotel from 7 to 10 p.m.

Organizers say the meetings will include informational presentations from representatives of Glacier Park, the University of Montana's Yellow Bay Biological Station, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

But there also will be opportunities for Montanans to comment on the proposed mine. The Flathead Basin Commission will submit all comments to the British Columbia government.