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To: Bobby Yellin who wrote (40841)	9/26/1999 8:56:00 AM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116764

Anyone want to see more coal industry abuse by the Clinton Administration?: Coal fuels political discord Tongue River Valley becomes battleground for Racicot and Babbitt The developer of the proposed Tongue River Railroad Mike Gustafson says Montana stands to gain more than $600 million in tax royalties if the railroad and Otter Creek coal mines are built. By JAN FALSTAD Of The Gazette Staff Presidential politics seems to have as much to do with whether coal mines and a railroad are built in pristine Tongue River Valley country in southeastern Montana as arguments by persistent supporters and adamant opponents over the merits of the projects. Highlights of Tongue River Railroad project 1980 - First proposed as an 89-mile route from Ashland to Miles City. 1986 - Interstate Commerce Commission (now called the Surface Transportation Board) approves the route 5-0. 1988 - Tongue River Railroad Co. proposes a 45-mile extension from Ashland to Decker through the Tongue River Valley. 1996 - STB approves extension using the Four Mile Creek Alternative. August 1997 - Wesco Resources signs agreement with Pittsburgh and Midway Coal Mining Co. December 1997 - Tongue River Railroad Co. asks STB to approve another alternative route running 17 miles called the Western Alignment. November 1997 - STB denies TRRC's petition to reopen and grants Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway's petition to intervene. July 1998 - STB publishes notice of intent to prepare supplement to final environmental impact statement. August 1998 - BNSF moves from a neutral position on the Tongue River Railroad proposal to a supporter. March 1999 - STB lifted a three-year deadline on Tongue River Railroad Co. to start construction by Nov. 8, 1999. September 1999 - STB spokesperson says the draft environmental supplement study on the Western Alignment has been completed. The board will release the study, allow at least a 45-day comment period, then prepare a final report. The STB will then rule on the third proposed route for the railroad. Once again, a Western land dispute probably will be resolved as much by political winds blowing through Washington, D.C., and by economic forces, as by Montanans' arguments on the merits. Gov. Marc Racicot and Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., are deadlocked in a dispute with Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt over whether Montana will be given federal coal along the Tongue River. The coal tract southeast of Ashland is called Otter Creek Tracts 1, 2 and 3. "The governor and I have agreed," Burns said. "We would like that coal. That's the deal that we made." Burns and the governor accused Babbitt of first agreeing to Otter Creek in order to win Montana's cooperation to stop the proposed Crown Butte Gold Mine on the edge of Yellowstone National Park, then reneging on the deal. "It is a matter of frustration to us," Racicot said. "Once they secured what they wanted, they were less inclined to be solicitous of us." Burns also insists that $10 million in federal mineral rights was promised to the Montana in lieu of lost economic opportunity from the $65 million Crown Butte buyout and Montana's leaders chose Otter Creek (cont) billingsgazette.com

To: Bobby Yellin who wrote (40841)	9/26/1999 9:17:00 AM
From: goldsnow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116764

Miyazawa said the government will soon decide on the use of 500 billion yen ($4.8 billion) earmarked for public works projects in this current fiscal year. The government also expressed it would add another four trillion to five trillion yen in public work spending for the current fiscal year which ends March 2000. But some analysts predict further pressure on Tokyo to spend more money to put the economy back on track.>>>> biz.yahoo.com Isn't the precisely this type of moves drive Japan recovery, Nikkei and Yen higher?