Climate change crowds push legislation

About 200 people of all generations attended several rallies Sunday in the Flathead Valley that were aimed at demanding action on climate and energy.

The rallies were organized by a new group called Forward on Climate Flathead Valley, and they were timed to coincide with a national rally that was held Sunday in Washington, D.C.

There were rallies with featured speakers at Kalispell’s Depot Park, at the corner of Second Street and Spokane in Whitefish, at Harvest Foods in Bigfork, and on the Summit of the Big Mountain, where skiers hefted flags and a banner saying, “Forward on Climate-Glacier National Park.”

The Flathead rallies were aimed at promoting several goals. Forward on Climate Flathead wants the state Legislature to pass a resolution stating that climate change is scientifically valid and primarily caused by burning fossil fuels.

They are urging the state to deny permits for the Otter Creek coal mine in Southeast Montana, and opposing development of the Keystone XL Pipeline, particularly on a planned route through Eastern Montana.

In news related to Keystone, noted author Rick Bass reportedly was arrested last week for civil disobedience in protesting the pipeline. Bass, a Yaak Valley resident, was arrested along actress Daryl Hannah, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., writer Bill McKibben, poet Robert Hass and Sierra Club Executive Director Mike Brune.