BC ministers slam US Senator Max Baucus.

[HEyHEY]

PROVINCIAL POLITICIANS HAD SOME FUN IN THE LEGISLATURE TODAY TEEING OFF ON CONTROVERSIAL MONTANA SENATOR MAX BAUCUS, AFTER THE AMERICAN PAID A VISIT TO FERNIE LAST FRIDAY TO BLAST A LOCAL COAL MINING PROPOSAL.
IT'S STILL NOT CLEAR WHO INVITED BAUCUS TO COME TO FERNIE, BUT EAST KOOTENAY M-L-A BILL BENNETT HAS BEEN FIRED UP EVER SINCE...

"what unscrupulous traitorous twit had sunk so low as to invite this guy to british columbia."

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINING PAT BELL ALSO SLAMMED THE SENATOR, A KEY SUPPORTER OF THE AMERICAN LUMBER LOBBY...

"mr. baucus is actually the enemy of british columbia and the enemy of canada."

AND ENERGY MINISTER RICHARD NEUFELD BLAMED BAUCUS FOR SANDBAGGING MINISTRY OFFICIALS WHO WENT TO MONTANA TO TALK ABOUT COALBED METHANE EXTRACTION IN BC...

"no one will have to go to montana to face that again from my ministry as long as i'm minister. mr. speaker, i'll go."

[Canadian Socialist]

1. It's about time

that we (Canadians) stood up to these bullies. I really try to stay out of political discussions in DU U.S. forums because I'm not American. However, when these weasels step over the border, gloves off. Yes. Ambassador Celluci, I'm looking at you. Way to go, HeyHey. Could you post a link please?

[me b zola]

5. It's OK, I understand

We don't want the bastards either.

[Mr_Spock]

12. Repuplicans aren't Americans so don't worry about it

They don't speak for the US - they speak for Satan.

[ironflange]

14. Baucus is a Democrat

[lostnfound]

20. Here's a better article on it.

http://missoulian.com/articles/2005/02/26/news/top/news01.txt

Anyone living downstream on a river has a right to address their concerns with people living upstream on the river. Max can't be a bully, he's not a Republican! ;) (What I mean by that is that you can't be an effective bully when you're a Democrat because these days Dems have so little power.)

The reaction to this visit sounds like pure politicking on the part of Mr. Bennett, honestly, rather than effective governance. His message about cattle and timber wasn't even explained in the first article.

[Fenris]

2. I can't wait until they found out who invited him.

[HEyHEY]

3. It was me...shhhhhh

I'm trying ta date his daughter.

[Fenris]

4. I knew it! Man-whore!

[Canadian Socialist]

6. Isn't she

married? To (shhhh) a Canadian?

[Canadian Socialist]

7. kick n/t

[stevedeshazer]

8. HEyHEY, got a link?

on edit: nevermind, found one

http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_baucus-bc20050225

[Egalitarian]

9. I'm not sure what Max said

while he was in Canada. Presummably he was there conveying concerns that I share about the coal bed methane mining proposed for the headwaters of the North Fork of the Flathead river. FYI, once the river enters the US approximately 30 miles south of the headwaters near Fernie, it is bordered on the East by Glacier National Park, and the West by National Forest which is uncharacteristically untouched for the most part, with lots of old growth forest remaining. This area is under consideration for possible wilderness designation. I regularly canoe and kayak the river and hope to do an across the border float this summer starting just outside of Fernie and continuing to the confluence with the Middle Fork. Many of my friends fish the river and/or obtain their drinking water from our valleys alluvial aquifer which is intermixed with water from the North Fork. I've heard that similar coal bed methane mines have a terrible track record, with lots of runoff problems from the extensive road building that is required. I've also heard of problems with spills in similar operations-I don't recall the details-something to do with storage ponds that have to be created in steep mountainous terrain and some from of pollutant which will likely reach the river after a pond washes out be it in 5 years or 100 after an intense thunderstorm or 100 year flood event. If Canada can mine and not threaten the North Forks water quality, then fine by me.



Can someone clue me in on what Max said and why it upset Canadian so much? Does he have motives besides protecting the water quality of North Fork for his citizens?

[Egalitarian]

11. OK, I did a little research

and went to the above cbc link. To me, it reads like a revenge piece. I guess the US is having a cultural affect on Canadians as they are learning to play our (not mine though) games. What a shame. Canada bullies Montana to get back at the US for protecting it's own suffering logging industry and it's misguided ban on canadian beef and my water quality will suffer. Thankfully, those smart BC politicians have stonewalled efforts to establish baseline levels of sediments and other pollutants so there will be no way for Montana to claim the true extent of harm caused by the requisite road building and resulting high sediment load in one of our areas pristine fisheries.

Correction to my earlier post. Sounds like this is coal mining now, not coal bed methane as was proposed a little over a year ago.

For some info on the perspective from the Montana side of the border check out www.gravel.org

[CHIMO]

13. Don't Forget An Election

Is near in BC.

Seems like a bit of electioneering talk.

The soft wood lumber issue is a big issue and could possibly lead to a trade war. On top of this is the beef issue. On a scientific basis there is no grounds for stopping trade in beef at the border with NAFTA.

Put it all together and....

A CBC item on the post.

http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_baucus-bc20050225

[Ediacara]

10. Lemme explain this from Max's point of view

I know this may not be a popular opinion on DU, but I stand by Baucus 110% on this issue. BC mines are dumping tailings into rivers that flow into Montana. This is an environmental disaster, not mucb unlike Victoria dumping raw sewage into Puget Sound.

Max isn't the leftiest Dem, but just because he's got some Canadian politicians mad at him doesn't mean the Canadians are right and he's wrong.

In this situation, the Canadians are DEAD WRONG.

[burrowowl]

15. Right On

DinoBoy! This is an important issue environmentally.

[HEyHEY]

16. Nah

I mean in all politness, where is the proof of this polution?

ANd please, let's not forget about how much the US pollutes Canada

[Egalitarian]

18. Proof that harm will be done? Wrong question.

Where is the proof that Montana water will not be negatively affected. Nobody in Canada depends on the water in question. Only Montanans do. Shouldn't the burden of proof be on Canada to prove that no damage will be done?

Here's a link with a little more info on how little is known currently.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2005/02/16/news/mtregional/news05.txt

Yes, I agree that the US has not been a good neighbor in many ways, but jumping on the revenge bandwagon only reinforces the problem(s).

[HEyHEY]

17. I should also add

Canada has strict rules about what can be put in ivers, you can't just dump environmentally unsafe shit into BC waters, that doesn't fly here.
In fact even with coalbed methane, it has to be pumped into the groung unless it's considered safe for human consumption.

[Ediacara]

21. Well not to put too fine a point on it

But you actually DON'T. The problem was so bad, it made Judy "I love James Watt" Martz, former Governor of Montana, get furious. Canadians DO dump pollutents into US waters whether you like it or not. If your eastern BC politicians want to throw a fit, then so be it, it doesn't negate the fact that your mines are planning on pulluting Montana rivers, and an elected representative of the people of Montana is asking you to stop. He doesn't need an invitation to tell you to stop being jackasses.

[Spazito]

22. If we are, indeed, dumping pollutants into US waters, we are

wrong to do so and I don't have a problem with Baucus saying so. I do, however, have a problem with Baucus' inability to accept the decision by NAFTA and the WTO that the US is wrong re softwood lumber. He continues to fight the ruling for pure protectionist reasons.

[lostnfound]

19. Max is a decent guy.. to be electable in Montana is probably a challenge

As I heard on Air America the other day, Max is a Democrat getting elected in MONTANA..so I say 'fine, whatever it takes'. He is standing up against Bush on Social Security despite intense lobbying by Bush to get him on board. I prefer progressives like Boxer, but Max is right at least as often as he's wrong, and he's a Senate seat that could just as easily be Republican.

I think he has integrity.