Current:Home > MarketsUS, Canada and indigenous groups announce proposal to address cross-border mining pollution-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
US, Canada and indigenous groups announce proposal to address cross-border mining pollution
View Date:2024-12-23 22:28:34
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The U.S., Canada and several indigenous groups announced a proposal on Monday to address the pollution from coal mining in British Columbia that’s been contaminating waterways and harming fisheries on both sides of the border for years.
The proposal would be executed through a century-old U.S.-Canada boundary waters treaty, establishing independent boards to study the pollution’s extent and make cleanup recommendations.
Details were obtained by The Associated Press in advance of the proposal’s public release. It comes after indigenous groups in British Columbia, Montana and Idaho lobbied for more than a decade for the federal governments in the U.S. and Canada to intervene and stop the flow of pollution.
Scientists from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency several years ago confirmed high levels of selenium in fish and eggs in Montana’s Kootenai River downstream of Lake Koocanusa, which straddles the U.S. Canada border. The chemical, released when coal is mined and washed during processing, can be toxic to fish, aquatic insects and the birds that feed on them.
Some members of the Ktunaxa Nation — which includes two tribes in the U.S. and four first nations in Canada — depend on those fish populations for sustenance.
“The fish, especially the smaller ones, you see a lot of damage. You’re starting to get abnormalities in their bodies, reproductive issues,” said Tom McDonald, Vice Chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in northwestern Montana. “It has to stop.”
Selenium concentrations in water entering Lake Koocanusa have been increasing for decades, and studies have shown it’s coming from coal mines in the Elk River Valley of British Columbia. The Elk River drains into the Kootenai before it crosses the border into Montana, then flows into Idaho and eventually joins the Columbia River.
Diplomatic groundwork for Monday’s proposal was laid last year, when President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in March 2023 that the U.S. and Canada hoped to reach an “agreement in principal” in partnership with tribes and first nations to reduce the pollution in the Elk-Kootenai watershed in the following months.
“All the parties know that time is of the essence,” said Stephenne Harding, senior director for lands at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “The pollution levels in this system are increasing and we need shared solutions to protect people and species. This process helps bring together all the data and the knowledge … so we have it in one place where we can make important decisions.”
Gary Aitken Jr., Vice Chairman of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, said tribal leaders have been lobbying for federal intervention for at least 12 years.
“It’s been frustrating,” he said. “We hope it’s a turning point and that the governments will work in good faith to finally begin” cleanup work.
The proposal calls for no more than two years of study to gauge the extent of pollution. The goal is to develop a plan to reduce pollution impacts “as quickly as possible,” said U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Rachel Poynter.
“This is a first step and we recognize that, but it is a critical key first step,” Poynter said.
A Canadian coal company paid a $60 million fine in 2021 after pleading guilty in a court case involving pollution discharges blamed for killing fish in nearby waters in Canada and harming fish downstream in Montana and Idaho. Investigators in Canada found Teck Resources Limited discharged hazardous amounts of selenium and calcite from two coal mines north of Eureka, Montana.
Representatives of Teck Resources said at the time of the fine that the company had invested about $1 billion in water treatment facilities and pledged to spend up to $655 million more to further protect nearby waters. A company spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday’s proposal.
Coal from the region is mined through a highly disruptive method known as mountaintop removal and sold to foundries for steel and metal production.
veryGood! (968)
Related
- Prosecutor failed to show that Musk’s $1M-a-day sweepstakes was an illegal lottery, judge says
- Watch as firefighters work tirelessly to rescue a helpless kitten stuck in a water pipe
- Former Speaker Paul Ryan says Republicans will lose if Donald Trump is nominee
- A fire at a wedding hall in northern Iraq kills at least 100 people and injures 150 more
- Best fits for Corbin Burnes: 6 teams that could match up with Cy Young winner
- Kate Moss Reveals Why She's in Denial About Turning 50
- Brooke Hogan Shares Why She Didn’t Attend Dad Hulk Hogan’s Wedding
- Tiger Woods Caddies for 14-Year-Son Charlie at Golf Tournament
- Research reveals China has built prototype nuclear reactor to power aircraft carrier
- 61-year-old woman falls to death off 150-foot cliff at Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina
Ranking
- Amazon launches an online discount storefront to better compete with Shein and Temu
- Georgia police arrest pair for selling nitrous oxide in balloons after concert
- What does a federal government shutdown mean? How you and your community could be affected
- Alabama inmate Kenneth Smith poised to be test subject for new execution method, his lawyers say
- 'Full House' star Dave Coulier diagnosed with stage 3 cancer
- Leader of Spain’s conservative tries to form government and slams alleged amnesty talks for Catalans
- The New Season: Art from hip hop to Picasso
- The Academy gifts replacement of Hattie McDaniel's historic Oscar to Howard University
Recommendation
-
Shawn Mendes Confesses He and Camila Cabello Are No Longer the Closest
-
O'Reilly Auto Parts worker charged in strangulation death of suspected shoplifter
-
'Bachelor in Paradise' Season 9: Cast, premiere date, trailer, how to watch new episodes
-
Families of those killed by fentanyl gather at DEA as US undergoes deadliest overdose crisis
-
Ryan Reynolds Makes Dream Come True for 9-Year-Old Fan Battling Cancer
-
Tech CEO Pava LaPere found dead in Baltimore apartment with blunt force trauma
-
The Academy gifts replacement of Hattie McDaniel's historic Oscar to Howard University
-
Job alert! Paris Olympics are looking for cooks, security guards and others to fill 16,000 vacancies