VICTORIA – Protecting the Flathead Valley from mining and coalbed methane development, winding down BC Rail and linking the electrical grid with California are among the priorities in the B.C. government's latest throne speech.

Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point read the speech Tuesday to kick off a three-day pre-Olympic sitting of the B.C. legislature. It reiterates promises made in the post-election throne speech and budget last fall, including the vow to roll out full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds across the province in the next two years.

Extending kindergarten beyond half days is the most expensive promise maintained in the past two speeches, both crafted by Premier Gordon Campbell after the recession slashed government revenues and pushed the province into a deficit estimated at $2.8 billion this fiscal year.

Tuesday's speech went further on how the B.C. Liberal government is going to extend early childhood education to children younger than five.

"New partnerships with the private sector and parents will enable the establishment of neighbourhood preschools for four-year-olds and three-year-olds within communities over the next five years," the speech says. "They will provide families with new voluntary options for public and private preschool across B.C."

The government is promising a new partnership with Montana to end years of friction over the Flathead River valley in the East Kootenay, which borders state and national parks on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Oil and gas development, coalbed methane and mining will be banned.

"A new partnership with Montana will sustain the environmental values in the Flathead River Basin in a manner consistent with current forestry, recreation, guide-outfitting and trapping uses," the speech says. "It will identify permissible land uses and establish new collaborative approaches to trans-boundary issues."

Along with seeking "major transmission upgrades" with the U.S., the government promises a new Clean Energy Act to encourage more independent power production.

"New transmission infrastructure will link northeastern B.C. to our integrated grid, provide clean power to the energy industry and open up new capacity for clean power exports in Alberta, Saskatchewan and south of the border," the speech says.

The government also vows to bring the remaining functions of BC Rail into government, winding down the Crown corporation now that the track and rolling stock are operated by CN Rail.

The corporation still owns the railbed, and operates the Roberts Bank spur line that was pulled off the market in the wake of criminal charges related to the BC Rail bidding process.