Whitefish-Fernie resolution would call for coal summit

Towns don't want 'top-down solutions' to mining issue

By RICHARD HANNERS - Whitefish Pilot

The Whitefish City Council learned Oct. 1 about the idea of a joint resolution between Whitefish and Fernie, British Columbia, urging Gov. Brian Schweitzer and B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell to meet and discuss "transboundary issues" — that is, potential impacts to the Flathead River by coal-mining upstream in Canada.

Mayor Cris Coughlin told the council she received a copy of the resolution from Will Hammerquist, a program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association.

"I'm not exactly sure who drafted it," she told city attorney John Phelps in an e-mail. "I believe it was a joint effort with another group in Fernie."

A draft version of the resolution points out that "an international dispute is not in the interest or desire of local constituencies on either side of the border and may hinder the continued progress of our regional economy."

It also states that "the inability of British Columbia and Montana to successfully resolve matters of disagreement in a bilateral manner may result in the imposition of top-down solutions that are not of mutual benefit."

"If a transboundary bridge is burned in the conversations at the upper level," Coughlin said in her e-mail to Phelps, "it can be very damaging to the local communities economically and may cause unnecessary hardship. I know Whitefish has worked very hard in the past few years to encourage the Canadian traffic that was prolific in the 70s and 80s, and Fernie appreciates the business from the south."

Noting that Campbell "was a bit cold in his response" to Schweitzer's Aug. 22 letter, Coughlin said the key point of the proposed resolution "is to encourage the premiere and our governor to meet locally with open dialogue and seek solutions that work across the board."

Schweitzer had proposed meeting with Gordon in Kalispell on Dec. 10 and 11. But he began his letter by labeling "unacceptable" work on a draft action-plan that would put into effect an agreement signed by Campbell and Gov. Judy Martz in 2003.

Calling for comprehensive baseline environmental and socio-economic studies "prior to new fossil-fuel development," Schweitzer noted that five separate projects had been proposed since 2003 — including coal-bed methane development in the Crowsnest coal field by BP Energy Corporation of Canada.

"It is my understanding that British Columbia solicited bids for the development of this resource," Schweitzer said about BP's proposal.

In his Sept. 14 reply to Schweitzer, Campbell said he was "surprised and disappointed" that the Montana governor was rejecting the draft action-plan.

Campbell claimed British Columbia had provided an "unprecedented degree of involvement" by American government agencies and stakeholders in the environmental assessment for the Lodgepole coal mine proposal, also located in the headwaters of the North Fork.

He also claimed a moratorium had been imposed on coal mining in "almost half the entire watershed" on the Canadian side of the North Fork drainage.

Citing British Columbia's five "Great Goals," adopted in 2005, Campbell claimed the province will "lead the world in sustainable environmental management" — including strict regulations for coal-bed methane development.

British Columbia does not allow companies to discharge waste water from coal-bed methane wells onto the surface, Campbell said, and "there is no current development" in the area.

"I understand Montana has 807 producing coal-bed gas wells," he noted.

Campbell also pointed out that other threats exist in the region — urban sprawl and global warming. He said he "would welcome a government-to-government meeting that would address a broad agenda, including climate actions."

"I do not think it would be useful or helpful to British Columbia-Montana relations to meet simply to discuss unilateral concessions to the land-use decisions of one jurisdiction," Campbell said.

Schweitzer has called that agenda proposal "changing the subject."

The Whitefish City Council will take a closer look at the draft resolution at their next meeting on Oct. 15. It will be an action item on the agenda, so the council could vote on it.