Tongue River Railroad & an Open Coal Pit Mine at Otter Creek; Why?




You've read my stories and seen my pictures.

You know
this is Southeastern Montana,

where the wild things are...

and 
nature is still free.  


If you believe what I have shared with you
 that this wonderful community 
we have lived in for the past 5 years

should be destroyed 
in the next 5 years

for the benefit of one private coal company

and no one else, 

then please go away.

But know this:

This private coal company wants to build a railroad
 using eminent domain,
89 MILES worth.

They want to dig an open pit coal mine
next to Otter Creek,
next to us,
20 MILLION tons worth
PER YEAR.



They want to hook up to the protested coal port terminal
in the State of Washington
to ship this low grade sodium-laden coal
that is not viable in the USA 
to 
China, India, 
and 
other Asian countries.



We have joined our neighbors,
many who are 4th and 5th generation ranchers
like the Alderson family here,

to become members of the Northern Plains Resource Council.

We have donated resources and written letters.

But it may not be enough.

The Federal Surface Transportation Board 
has now released an Environmental Impact Statement 
and 
open public comment has been extended 
until September 23, 2015.


Want to know what we are going through?

Click here for a fact sheet.

If this passes,
there will be no more going west for us,

and you.

It will be gone.

~





~




Comments

  1. I'll be putting a link to this on my blog, hope you don't mind.

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  2. Hiss and spit.
    I so hope that they can be stopped.

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    Replies
    1. There are many organizations who are working on this; also the Northern Cheyenne Nation too. On the port side of things in Washington there are organizations also, along with the Pacific NW Lummi Nation who are delivering a totem this weekend to MT.

      Northern Plains Resource Council is a group that is local to our area and has been there since the beginning. Now is the time for all of the organizations to work together to prevent this from happening. Thank you for your support! xoxo

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  3. Fight fight fight. This makes me sad. xo Hug B

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    Replies
    1. Its been a long battle, We bought land here back in 2008, and did our research; the coal would never be developed we were told because of its high sodium content - too poisonous to the earth and too cost inefficient to make it work. Now they want to pollute the earth elsewhere.

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  4. Sounds much worse than the NEXXUS pipeline they're attempting to force on us here.

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    Replies
    1. So sorry Camryn that you have to go through that - its not easy, and its sad when you realize they are in it for money, at all costs to you, the community, and the environment! xoxo

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  5. Greedy SOB's and they want somebody else to fund it!! They don't care who they run over or how dirty they are so long as there's a dollar to be made. I'm trying to make a donation but something in their system isn't accepting my credit card info. I'll have to try another method. Keep the faith and keep fighting!!!

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    Replies
    1. HUGS!!!!! You are always the light to my world with your support! We have donated over the years to them and Im not sure why their system isnt working?

      Its so frustrating to see the logic that is being used here to promote this coal train & coal mine! Its like all facts have fallen to the wayside. The worst thing is seeing the meeting that took place in Billings, MT last week between China's coal leaders and our Montana reps - it supposedly was to glean ideas from each other for "cleaner coal" But THERE IS NO SUCH FACTUAL THING AS "CLEANER" coal ARGH!!!!! Its like the heat and fires have damaged their brains over here? But we all know is all about $$$$ :( Thank you for your support FFG it helps bigtime!!! xoxox

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  6. OH, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. That is the best way to describe whats happening - exactly it. xoxox

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  7. Oh no!! That would be such a travesty and so tragic for the river and Montana as a whole. Am following the link to add my voice to yours.

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    1. Thank you Jil!!!!!!!!!! There are many other organizations that have joined in on this ; Northern Plains Resource Council is our local organization, and has been for this area for Ranchers for over 30 years. Every bit of voice and support will go a long way. Its been such a long battle, and the main battle is now coming up... THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! xoxo

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  8. That is beyond the Pale...........those Bastards! How dare they? Keep fighting!!!!!!!!!

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    Replies
    1. We are, and we will. This has gained so much momentum with the Washington coal port terminal protest - the more that are involved, the more the coal industry will recognize that its environmental destruction is no longer acceptable...and cleaner energy must be our priority xoxox

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  9. I pray for your strength to fight the bastards

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    Replies
    1. Everyone over here is in it for the long haul - thank you for the words of encouragement!

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  10. Fight the good fight! I'm right behind you. The same thing is happening in WY!!

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    Replies
    1. Oh MY! Then dont you know it! It has been going on for years, but since coal is making its descent, it feels like it wants to bring us all down with it... :(

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  11. FY FAN! And that's not a fan, that's a Swedish swear word, a pretty bad one. This Swedish Goddess had to return to her native language to express her outrage. I cannot not believe this is happening in the American West. We have all heard about the flattening of mountains in the South, but here, where you live. And in Wyoming too!
    Greed is such a horrific thing and I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. All we have had to fight here in the canyon are wind turbine farms. The residents of the canyon won the first battle, but who knows about the war. Stay strong, my friend.

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    Replies
    1. I will use your word prolifically, Inger! XOXOX

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  12. (long time reader but rarely a commenter...) I feel your pain.

    The obsession with harvesting every last scrap of fossil fuel from the earth is damaging / destroying our last wild - clean - beautiful - pristine wildernesses. It defies understanding. I don't know how we can stop it.

    Recently the government has okayed sonar testing to locate oil deposits along the se coast, where I live now, which will ultimately lead to drilling. Along with sea level rise from global warming, damage to tourism - which is all we have economically - from nearby drilling operations, will be the death knell of our idyllic little barrier island. It's hard enough to survive here as it is. You have forest fires - we have hurricanes.

    While I lived near Galveston Tx on the gulf coast (prior to the Deepwater Horizon spill) I saw first hand the effect even distant oil drilling has on coastal communities - from from day-to-day operations, not a catastrophe btw: oil clots floating in the water, tar balls staining the beach, your clothes and feet, a permanent oily sheen on the water, and the decline / disappearance of fish and other wildlife as the environment was polluted.

    I wish you luck with your battle!

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    1. Your heart has seen this, and so you know what we are going through. We are hoping that the truth will be exposed and they cannot proceed as they planned. Any Community , whether it be human or wildlife or nature herself, being destroyed is never a good thing. xoxo

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  13. My heart goes out to you and your community. I live in little hamlet, a hidden secret in KY, our community if trying to stop a quarry from mining the precious limestone less than a mile from our home. We have formed a neighborhood association. Unfortunately the owner have to many connections and much deeper pockets than the community. We have a planning and zoning and a comprehensive plan which ruled against the request. Then the county commissioners voted to support the quarry owners!!!!!! Hmm

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    Replies
    1. Wishing you all the best your way - its never easy watching the ones with deep pockets and political backing try to destroy a community they dont live in. We must fight the good fight. xoxox

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