Baucus Bill: Glacier National Park Birthday Present?
Monday, March 8, 2010
WEST GLACIER, Mont. - Canada did it first, and it didn't take long for the U.S. to follow. British Columbia placed the area north of Glacier National Park off limits to mining last week, and Senator Max Baucus has introduced a bill to do the same on the U.S. side, which Congress will get to look at this week. His proposal would keep industrial development out of the Upper Flathead Valley, an issue he's been working on for 30 years.
It's welcome news for the area's tourism industry, which generates more than $150 million a year, including Cris Coughlin, co-owner of Montana Raft Company in West Glacier.
"As a small business owner, I fully support this effort to keep the North Fork of the Flathead River special. We've got the Glacier Park Centennial coming up, and a lot of celebration."
Coughlin says the threat of water pollution from development has long been hanging over the heads of companies like hers.
"Montana Raft Company employs over 70 people during peak season, and those jobs depend on clean water."
Senator Jon Tester is a co-sponsor of the legislation. The bill would prohibit oil and gas development along with mining, which has raised some hackles in those industries, especially because some areas have already been leased for development. Senator Tester says the leases have long been dormant and he believes they can be swapped for other areas, or purchased, so companies don't lose their investments.
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