Northern Plains thanks Juneau for lone vote against leasing Otter Creek coal

Coal companies have 45 days to submit a bid for the state-owned 9,300-acre "checkerboard" portion of the Otter Creek coal tracts for a strip-mine that would be the largest in Montana. Coal giant Arch Coal has agreed to pay privately owned Great Northern Properties 10 cents a ton for its portion of the tracts.

Northern Plains Resource Council ranchers and members expressed disappointment with the 4-1 decision by the State Land Board today to lease the Otter Creek Coal Tracts in southeastern Montana. The lone dissenting vote came from State Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau.

"A yes vote would not necessarily be in the best interests of the School Trust beneficiaries," Juneau told other members of the board. "It is a time for us to be visionaries. We cannot vote as if we have blinders on and only see our present economic picture. We must take lessons from the past seven generations and also look forward and provide for the interests of the next seven generations."

Juneau acknowledged that that there are benefits to mining and the jobs it creates, but reminded the Land Board that mining has its costs. She cited the Berkeley Pit, Milltown Dam and the former vermiculite mine in Libby as huge examples of mining's lasting degradation.

"I'm not turning my back on money for schools," Juneau continued. "I'm upholding my duty and my responsibility to the children of this great state in saying that the greatest value and the best use of that land should not be determined by this board today.

"This Land Board has been diligent in its development of resources and leasing of lands all across the state. We could sell every parcel of state land and log every tree -- but we don't. We don't because we want to sustain Montana's lands for future beneficial use -- that is sound stewardship.

"In this case, development is a one-shot deal.... I cannot in good faith vote to disregard the future potential of these lands."

Several Northern Plains board members, ranchers, and irrigators testified at the hearing in opposition to leasing.

"This Land Board today had the opportunity to look toward the future or stay in the past," said Jeanie Alderson, a Birney rancher and co-chair of Northern Plains Resource Council's Tongue River Railroad Task Force. "We are disappointed they decided to stay with old, dirty energy instead of clean, sustainable energy of the future, but this isn't over.

"We still maintain the entire process is flawed. There has been no overarching public process that includes a discussion of the environmental, economic, and social aspects and costs associated with leasing this coal.

"Be that as it may, Northern Plains is glad the Land Board didn't cave totally to the coal interests and did set a 25-cent a ton minimum bid, that any money proffered will be dedicated solely to K-12 education and not go to the state general fund, and that the Land Board will retain oversight of this process.

"We also are encouraged by Governor Brian Schweitzer's promise that the State will not subsidize the building of the Tongue River Railroad or give a coal company a "sweet deal" on leasing the State's Otter Creek land. We eagerly await any proposals that come forward in the next 45 days."