Firm pushes ahead for B.C. coal mining
JIM MANN The Daily Inter Lake | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 20 years, 1 month AGO
A Canadian mining company is proceeding with plans to develop a coal mine in British Columbia's Flathead Basin, heightening concerns about mining development expanding well before an adequate assessment of the basin's water, fisheries and wildlife can take place.
At a meeting in Fernie, B.C., last week, Cline Mining Co. officials confirmed plans to pursue a "small mines" permit that would allow extraction of up to 250,000 tons of coking coal annually from a site on Foisey Creek, a tributary to the North Fork Flathead River and Montana's Flathead Basin.
Those plans were revealed months ago in company securities documents, along with a stated intention of eventually expanding mine production to 2 million tons annually.
The company now intends to file an application for its small-mine permit at the end of November, drawing rapid opposition on both sides of the border. The Flathead Coalition, a transboundary group based in Montana's Flathead Valley, and a Canadian conservation group called Wildsight are calling on the British Columbia government to deny the permit.
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