Industrial Coalfield Development Threatens Glacier
The Transboundary Flathead River is one of the most wild, biologically rich places in the world. The river originates in British Columbia and flows south into Montana where it forms the western boundary of Glacier National Park. Cline Mining Corporation is proposing to put an open-pit coal mine in the very headwaters of the Flathead River, just 25 miles upstream of Glacier National Park.
The mine would remove a mountaintop in the heart of the Rockies to construct the mine pit, settling ponds, and waste dumps in the headwaters tributaries of the Flathead River. Contaminated waste from the mine would flow into the Flathead River, ruining water quality, industrializing one of the wildest landscapes in North America, and threatening the fish and wildlife of Glacier National Park.
In addition to the proposed coalmine, BP Energy Corporation of Canada has proposed a massive coalbed methane project in the neighboring Elk River that will negatively impact Glacier's grizzly population and produce hundreds of millions of gallons of toxic wastewater that is proven fatal to trout.
The Transboundary Flathead River and Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park contain all the large carnivores in North America, including grizzly bears, lynx, and wolves. The impacts of open-pit coal mining and coalbed methane threaten the long-term survival of these shared wildlife populations. Rather than considering coal mining, Montana and British Columbia must work together to develop a long-term conservation strategy that permanently protects the entire Transboundary Flathead River.
Take Action To Save Glacier
Over 50,000 letters and emails have already been sent to key officials in British Columbia and Canada. Please send an email or fax to British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell (250-387-0087 or premier@gov.bc.ca) urging British Columbia to respect international law by establishing permanent protections for this special area that do not allow for industrial energy extraction in the headwaters of the Flathead River.
Send an email or fax to Canadian Minister of the Environment John Baird (819-953-0279 or John.Baird@ec.gc.ca) urging the Canadian Federal Government to respect international law and appoint an international review panel to independently study the impacts of the proposed Cline coalmine to Glacier National Park and this internationally acclaimed and unique transboundary ecosystem.
Also, send an email to Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester thanking them for their strong position against coalbed methane and coalmining at the headwaters of the Flathead River. You can also email Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (governor@mt.gov), and thank him for his leadership in protecting Glacier National Park.
For More Information
Visit
www.flatheadbasincommission.org or
www.flathead.ca for complete information on the proposed coal-mine and coalbed methane, facts about the potential impacts on Glacier National Park, wildlife, and water quality, and the state of Montana's response to the proposed coal mine.
Last Updated: January 15, 2008
