A new report says a Canadian company that runs coal mines north of Montana hasn’t set enough money aside for cleanup. Those mines are sending pollution into Montana waters.
The report says that Teck Resources is three billion U.S. dollars short of ensuring future cleanup of the coal mines through a government required bond.
Those kinds of bonds are required from all mining companies in Canada and the U.S. to pay for cleanup efforts, even if companies go bankrupt.
Simon Wiebe is with Wildsight, the B.C. environmental group that commissioned the report. He said the company’s bond amount was negotiated behind closed doors.
Wildsight’s analysis estimates Teck would need $4.7 billion just to build water treatment plants for selenium. That doesn’t include other costs like replanting trees.
“If we don’t ensure that there are financial protections in place, then there’s potential for things to go downhill very quickly,” Wiebe said.
Selenium is already leaching from waste rock at the mine sites, leading to problematic levels in Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River in Montana.
In high enough concentrations, selenium can diminish fish reproduction and impact human health.
Teck disputes the report’s findings. B.C. officials didn’t comment on the report by deadline.
Wiebe said if the current bond fell short of the true cost of cleanup, water treatment could halt and selenium would spike downstream in Montana.
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A disputed rule that sets an acceptable level of selenium pollution in a northwest Montana lake will stay in place after environmental officials agreed it complies with state law.
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The state Department of Environmental Quality is at odds with a governor-appointed board over a rule that could limit pollution levels in a northwest Montana lake.