Greenpeace flies blimp near Glacier Park

Greenpeace flew a blimp near the east side of Glacier National Park twice on Aug. 4, warning the publc about the impacts of climate change and coal exports.

The environmental group flew a blimp and a balloon from the Babb airport with Glacier Park as backdrop as a protest against Department of Interior policies.

Greenpeace claims that, while the department publicly worries about impacts of climate change on national parks, the Bureau of Land Management promotes policies that encourage coal production and coal exports to overseas customers, particularly Asia.

“The focus is for us to send a message to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell,” Joe Smyth, of Greenpeace communications, said. “We’re trying to show some of the problems of climate change (in national parks) while Interior is approving coal mining.”

The blimp flew near but not over the Park, Smyth said, and Greenpeace had no plans to fly the balloon or blimp on the west side of the Park at this point.

“Climate change is a major threat to national parks like Glacier, and more coal will only make it worse, whether it’s burned in Montana or Beijing,” Greenpeace energy campaign director Kelly Mitchell said. “If Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is serious about protecting our national parks from the impacts of climate change, she should establish a moratorium on new coal leases and pursue comprehensive reform of the federal coal-leasing program.”

Montana is a major coal-producing state. In 2012, it ranked eighth in the nation, producing 36 million tons of coal. Neighboring Wyoming is ranked No. 1, producing 401 million tons, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.