Canadian Coal Plan Threatens Flathead River, Glacier NP - NYT

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HELENA, Mont. — "A valley treasured by biologists as one of the wildest places in North America could become the site of large coal-related development projects, if two plans are realized.

The proposals call for mining and gas development in the Flathead Valley in British Columbia, a sparsely settled region that includes the North Fork of the Flathead River. A few miles south, the river forms the western boundary of Glacier National Park in the United States.

Kenneth Bates, president of the Cline Mining Corporation, a Canadian company, said he planned to have an open-pit coal mine operating within two years to extract hard metallurgical coal, which is in demand because of a boom in steel production in China. The other project is a series of exploratory wells to find out whether it is feasible to drill more extensively for natural gas found in coal deposits in the valley. It is not clear what company will handle that project.

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But environmentalists, biologists and Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, have vowed to block the proposal. "If they want to pursue a full-scale operation that could devastate one of our most pristine and valuable areas for recreation and wildlife, then they're asking for a fight," Mr. Baucus said. He has written to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell asking him to express concern to the Canadians.

A study last year by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is based at the Bronx Zoo, found that the valley might well be the wildest one in the lower 48 states. Glacier National Park and, next to it, Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada are among the most pristine areas in the world. On the American side, the North Fork has been designated a wild and scenic river, which carries some federal protections. It is home to an endangered species, the bull trout."

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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/04/science/04MINE.html