The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) will hold public scoping meetings to accept comments on the proposed Otter Creek Coal, LLC – Otter Creek Coal Mine project located approximately five miles southeast of Ashland, Montana.
Public Hearings on the Otter Creek Coal Mine in Montana
MEIC members and supporters are encouraged to attend the public hearings on the Otter Creek coal mine in Montana, and speak out in support of clean air and water, and to hold the DEQ accountable for this proposal.
The Public Hearings on the Otter Creek Coal Mine in Montana are currently scheduled for:
- Broadus, Montana – Community Center; Jan. 16, 6-8 PM
- Ashland, Montana – St Labre School; Jan. 17, 2-4 PM
- Lame Deer, Montana – Charging Horse Casino; Jan. 17, 6-8 PM
About Otter Creek
In August 2012, Arch Coal applied to build the biggest coal mine in Montana’s history to feed Asian markets. The proposed Southeastern Montana mine contains a jaw-dropping 1.3 billion tons of coal. Even for a state with 25% of the nation’s coal, this is a massive proposal that will have severe consequences for neighboring property owners, water quality and quantity, air quality, and neighboring communities. These long lasting impacts will be significant but the most serious impact will come in terms of its contribution to climate change. When this coal is burned it will release 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide into an already overloaded atmosphere. The contribution to climate change and the resultant impacts cannot be overstated.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recently chose to approve the companies appallingly deficient permit application in the first phase of the permitting process. The DEQ is now in the second phase of permitting, and will conduct an analysis under the Montana Environmental Policy Act. Currently the State is asking the public to give it feedback on what issues it should study in the environmental review process. Please join us and speak out against this disastrous proposal during this scoping process.
What issues should the state analyze?
- Moving 1.3 billion tons of coal by rail across Montana to proposed west coast coal export terminals will harm Montanan’s health, communities, safety, and businesses. The State should hold scoping hearings in Montana communities that will be impacted by the increased rail traffic.
- Until DEQ has an application that contains all of the details of the proposed mine it is premature to start the environmental review process. It is impossible to know what issues the agency should study without a full application.
- Much of the Otter Creek coal sits in an alluvial valley, an area that is likely impossible to reclaim. Water quality and quantity are too important to jeopardize yet that is exactly what would happen if DEQ allows this mine. DEQ did not require Arch Coal to submit any information regarding this critical alluvial valley issue prior to the scoping comment period. Arch Coal must not be allowed to permanently damage Montana’s precious water resources as so many other multinational corporations have done before.
- DEQ must consider the significant short and long-term impacts of climate change in Montana. Increased coal burning from massive mines like Otter Creek are already contributing to economic and environmental disasters and putting the public’s health and safety in jeopardy. DEQ must consider climate change impacts to agriculture, recreation, hunting, fishing, aquatic life, in-stream flows, winter recreation industries, forestry, water supply and quality, increased fire impacts, flooding, tourism, and more.
