American Government Comes Out Against Coal Mining

We are so thrilled to learn that the American government has finally developed concern about the environmental impact of digging for coal. In Canada. It seems that there are concerns that a new mine just north of Montana stands to jeopardize water quality in the transboundary Flathead area. From the Vanouver Sun: The Flathead basin is "an area of unique and internationally recognized environmental importance," Edward Alex Lee, Canadian affairs director in the State Department, said in the Feb. 23 letter. He said the mine could cause "significant adverse environmental effects" in the United States. U.S. Senator Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, said "Montanans are rightfully worried that mining in British Columbia could have devastating consequences to fish, wildlife and our growing recreation industry in the Flathead."

We are certain that Montana is going to put its gasification plants on the back burner and even though Tom Freidman says "Montana has one-third of all the coal deposits in America — 8 percent of all the coal in the world. Montana’s coal is roughly equivalent to 240 billion barrels of oil. “That’s enough to replace all our imported oil for 60 years.” they will leave it in the ground out of equal concern for their own backyards.

We don't support digging up British Columbia for its coal either, but this smells of hypocrisy. ::Vancouver Sun via ::the conscious earth

image by Edward Burtynsky, "Westar Open Pit Coal Mine #19, Sparwood, British Columbia", 1985