The Joe Biden administration joins other groups and agencies in calling on Canada to participate in a study of cross-border water pollution caused by coal mining in southern British Columbia.
In a statement last week, the US State Department said President Biden supported a joint study of selenium from the Teck Resources coal mines in the Elk Valley — selenium that is then found in rivers and lakes south of the border.
“The (State) Department reaffirmed the administration’s support for joint referral to the International Joint Commission, under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, for the Kootenai Watershed regarding transboundary impacts of mining mining,” said the press release issued last Wednesday.
Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the situation on Tuesday. On June 2, spokesperson Adrien Blanchard said in an email that Canada was “considering various options” in this matter.
The United States has been concerned for years about the mines of Teck Resources. The states of Montana and Idaho, eight U.S. senators, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Geological Survey, and six native communities on both sides of the border have all said the selenium released by the mines threatened fish in their downstream waters.
Several of these groups have sought a referral to the International Joint Commission, created to arbitrate disputes over transboundary waters. In these referrals, the examination of the problem and the formulation of recommendations have almost always been carried out jointly by the two countries.
Canada and the United States, through the Commission, have thus worked together on the problems of the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain in Quebec and the Souris River Basin in Manitoba.
First Nations
The commission said it was ready to look into the matter and asked Canada to participate. The US State Department is now adding its voice.
In his statement, he said Canada’s participation would lead to “unbiased recommendations and transparent communication, build trust and forge a common understanding of this issue among local, Indigenous, state, provincial and federal governments, as well as stakeholders.” stakeholders and the population of the two countries”.
The statement focuses on First Nations concerns, underscoring “the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to strengthening nation-to-nation relationships.”
“Support for a joint referral to the (Commission) reflects the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to protecting public health; to conserve our lands, waters and biodiversity; and to provide environmental justice to communities burdened by pollution. »
The US government statement was preceded by a statement from the six Ktunaxa First Nations in the region, which have been asking Canada since December to join the referral to the Joint Commission. “We demand meaningful dialogue,” said Nasukin Gravelle of Tobacco Plains First Nation. »
“The missing piece here is Canada’s apparent unwillingness to participate in a joint referral to move things forward on viable, science-based solutions. It is a disappointment and a sad day for reconciliation when progress in tackling the pollution of our waterways is blocked by a federal government. »
Teck Resources has itself acknowledged the problem. The company has spent $1.2 billion treating wastewater from mine sites and plans to spend another $750 million. She claims that around 95% of selenium is now removed from wastewater.
Teck, however, disputes the “unreasonably low” selenium standards set by Montana. The company maintains that these standards, which apply to the basin shared by the two countries, are even lower than the natural levels of selenium in the rivers upstream of the mines.
Yet the Joint Commission has previously reported that selenium concentrations in parts of this watershed — Lake Koocanusa — are more than five times the limits set by Montana, though levels are lower elsewhere.