Montana governor wants to meet with Washington officials about port

Montana's governor says he wants to meet with Washington state officials about opposition to a Columbia River port that would ship coal mined in Montana and Wyoming to Asia.

Officials in Cowlitz County approved the port upgrade last month, but environmental groups are appealing, saying the environmental impacts of transporting and burning the coal were not adequately considered.

On Tuesday, the Washington Department of Ecology petitioned to intervene in the appeal filed by Earthjustice. Ecology spokeswoman Kim Schmanke says the agency wants a seat at the table because it may be asked to approve other permits for the project.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Thursday that he plans to travel to Washington state early next week to seek support for the project. He says he's going to tell state officials it's irrational for them to oppose a port to export Montana coal when utilities that serve Washington state burn Montana coal.