Congressman gets involved in Canadian coal bed methane dispute

CHRIS PETERSON

Hungry Horse News

Congressman Denny Rehberg has asked the International Joint Commission to get involved in a coal bed methane dispute between British Columbia and Montana.

The Canadian province plans to auction off leases for coal bed methane development in coal fields about 15 miles north of Glacier National Park.

In a letter dated Aug. 10, Montana's only congressman asked Secretary of State Colin Powell and Pierre Pettigrew, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, to petition the IJC.

The IJC is an independent bi-national organization established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. Its purpose is to help prevent and resolve disputes relating to the use and quality of boundary waters and to advise Canada and the United States on related questions.

A host of Montana interests have raised concerns that coal bed methane development in the North Fork of the Flathead and the Kootenai drainages would harm both Montana fish and wildlife.

Coal bed methane works like this: Water is pumped from underground coal seams, which releases trapped natural gas. The gas is then captured and sold. The waste water, however, is usually low in oxygen, high in iron and high in other salts which can be detrimental to fish, since the water is often discharged into area streams and rivers.

The drilling operations themselves could hurt wildlife in both Canada and the U.S. because of the vast network of roads and wells created by the operation, both Canadians and Montanans have maintained.

"Up to this point, the British Columbian and the Canadian governments have shown no willingness to first conduct an environmental assessment of proposed coal bed natural gas exploration sites in an area of British Columbia neighboring Glacier National Park in Montana," Rehberg writes.

"My concern is that the province is forgoing proper environmental protections in an effort to hasten this lease sale. A completed environmental assessment statement will identify the risks, if any, these proposed coal bed methane leases pose to the Flathead and Kootenai watersheds, downstream waters, wildlife and Montana communities," Rehberg said.