The U.S. and Canada have struck a deal over pollution flowing from British Columbia coal mines into a lake and river system in Montana.
Tribes in the U.S. and Canada have raised concerns for years about selenium levels harming fish reproduction in Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River. That selenium is flowing from coal mines along the Elk River in British Columbia.
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes chairman Tom McDonald said the pollution puts cutthroat trout and threatened species like bull trout at risk.
“We have to be able to have a clean and healthy environment where we can catch fish and eat fish out of any river system that’s in our aboriginal territory that we’ve relied on for the past 10,000 to 30,000 years,” McDonald said.
The U.S. and Canada agreed to let the International Joint Commission (IJC) set up a governing body for the transboundary watershed. That body will make recommendations for provincial, state and federal governments. While not legally binding, the IJC recommendations are usually implemented.
Teck Resources, which owns the mines, said it wants to learn more about the IJC process, but noted it’s willing to work with all parties. B.C. provincial officials released a statement saying they support IJC involvement.
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Montana environmental regulators are poised to make a decision on whether to throw out a water pollution standard for Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River in northwest Montana.
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Democratic Sen. Jon Tester Wednesday asked the U.S. State Department to put pressure on an international commission and the Canadian government to stem…
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British Columbia coal mining company Teck Resources has agreed to pay a $60 million fine for polluting rivers upstream of Lake Koocanusa.Teck Resources…
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State environmental regulators Friday approved new standards for a heavy metal in Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River.Montana Board of Environmental…
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Montana environmental regulators took the first step last week to tighten pollution rules for toxins flowing into Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River.…
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The expansion of a British Columbia coal mine upstream of Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River will undergo review from the federal Canadian government.…