The United States and Canada have agreed to launch a joint investigation into a long-running cross-border dispute over pollution from British Columbia coal mines flowing into U.S. waters.
“Our two countries are committed to following a collaborative path, grounded in science and indigenous knowledge, and oriented toward action,” wrote, in a joint statement, the United States Ambassador to Canada, David Cohen, and her Canadian counterpart, Kirsten Hillman.
The agreement, announced Monday, involves the two national governments, as well as British Columbia, the states of Montana and Idaho, as well as six indigenous communities on both sides of the border.
They will work under the auspices of the International Joint Commission, a treaty-based group that arbitrates water disputes.
The agreement creates a governance body and research committee tasked with finding ways to reduce contamination from coal mines in British Columbia’s Elk Valley, which flows into Lake Koocanusa, a water reservoir. horseback on the frontier, and in the American rivers.
This governance body is to be operational by the end of June, with the final research report expected two years later. Public reporting is required.
The problem has been going on for a decade, said Kathryn Teneese, president of the Ktunaxa Nation, which represents the six First Nations in Canada and the United States that live along these waters.
“It took a while,” she commented. It’s a good start. This is just the beginning of a long and aggressive process. »
Decades of strip mining in southeastern British Columbia have exposed selenium, an element toxic to fish associated with coal deposits. This selenium flows downstream.
A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey confirms that the contamination is coming from these mines, adding that efforts by mine owner Teck Resources to slow these releases are not making much difference to the amount flowing south .
In 1985, the report estimated that just under two tons of selenium flowed from the Elk River into Lake Koocanusa. Last year, this figure had increased to almost 11 tonnes.
Teck has installed a $1.4 billion water treatment system at the mine and is structuring new operations to capture at least 95% of the selenium from current operations. Montana government data shows selenium concentrations in Lake Koocanusa water have been stable since at least 2012.
But the report says selenium continues to be washed downstream, particularly during periods of high flow.
U.S. officials, including senators, the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, have pushed for years for a joint U.S.-Canada investigation into the situation. US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to act by last summer.
The impasse may have been broken last August, when British Columbia finally accepted a role on the International Joint Commission.
Teck, which is in the process of selling its coal assets to Swiss multinational Glencore, is not represented on the governance board. The company will be able to submit information to the committee, according to senior US administration officials.