Proving that politicians are concerned with self interest and not principles, the Bush Administration is opposing a proposed coal mine on the Canadian side of the BC - Montana border, citing potential downstream environmental impacts in the US.

Federal officials chose not to address the inherent hypocrisy of shouting down a coal mine affecting Montana's environment, while endorsing mountain top removal mining that is destroying entire valleys in the Appalachian states.

For those not familiar with the process, mountain top removal is essentially sawing the top off a mountain and dumping the refuse into neighbouring valleys in order to cheaply access coal seems lying underneath - for the apparent purpose of boosting mercury levels in water and and destroying global climate.

The main difference between the case in BC and mountain top removal in the US being that the latter is far more destructive, and more importantly, that the coal companies working in the Appalachians had the had the good sense to contribute to Bush's campaign, whereas the one in BC did not.

Having said that, BC citizens will take whatever help they can get in ensuring environmentally responsible industry at home.