Land Board endorses $86M coal deal

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By The Associated Press

Story Published: Mar 18, 2010 at 2:58 PM MST

Story Updated: Mar 18, 2010 at 2:58 PM MST

HELENA - The Land Board is endorsing an $86 million coal deal with a mining giant at a meeting marred by protesters chanting "hands off Otter Creek."

The deal lets Arch Coal Inc. combine a half-billion tons of state-owned coal with 731 million tons of adjacent coal it has leased from a private company.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer says the money buoys the state budget and will help avoid budget cuts, while promising to bring in billions more in the coming decades. The board approved the deal in a 3-2 vote Thursday.

Five protesters with the advocacy group Northern Rockies Rising Tide shut down the meeting for about 45 minutes when they locked arms and sat on the floor. Police said they were taken to jail on an initial charge of disorderly conduct.

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