Cross-border water pollution: White House asks Ottawa to cooperate

In a statement released last week, the U.S. State Department said President Biden supports a joint study on selenium from Teck Resources ’coal mines in the Elk Valley. Selenium goes into rivers and lakes south of the border.

The department [d’État] reaffirmed the Administration’s support for collectively identifying the International Joint Commission, under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, for the Kootenai Watershed regarding the transboundary impact of miningsaid a statement released Wednesday.

Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the situation on Tuesday. On June 2, the spokesman, Adrien Blanchard, announced in an email that Canada considering different options in this file.

The United States has been concerned for many years about the Teck Resources mines. The states of Montana and Idaho, eight U.S. senators, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Geological Survey, and six indigenous communities on both sides of the border said the selenium released by the mines threatened fish in their lower part of the water.

Some of these groups have sought a referral to the International Joint Commission, which was created to arbitrate transboundary water disputes. In these referrals, the analysis of the problem and the formulation of recommendations are almost always carried out jointly by the two countries.

Canada and the United States, through the Commission, worked together on the problems of the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain in Quebec and the Souris River Basin in Manitoba.

Concerns of the First Nations

The commission said it was ready to look into the matter and asked Canada to participate. The U.S. State Department is now increasing its voice.

In his press release, he indicated that Canada’s involvement would lead to unbiased recommendations and clear communication, will build trust and develop a common understanding of this issue among local, Indigenous, state, provincial and federal governments, as well as stakeholders and the public of both countries.

The release focuses on First Nations concerns, which he highlights the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to strengthening country-to-country relations.

” Support for an integrated referral to [Commission] reflects the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to protecting public health; to protect our lands, water and biodiversity; and to provide environmental justice to communities burdened by pollution. “

The U.S. government’s statement preceded a statement from six Ktunaxa First Nations in the region, asking Canada since December to join the referral to the Joint Commission.

We demand meaningful dialoguesaid Nasukin Gravelle, of Tobacco Plains First Nation.

The missing piece here is Canada’s apparent unwillingness to participate in a joint referral to advance things to viable, science-based solutions. It was a disappointment and a sad day for reconciliation when progress in tackling the pollution of our waterways was stalled by a federal government.He added.

Teck Resources itself identified the problem. The company has spent $ 1.2 billion on wastewater treatment from the mines and plans to spend another $ 750 million. He claims that approximately 95% of selenium is now removed from wastewater.

However, Teck disputes selenium standards unreasonably low 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 selenium levels in the rivers upstream of the mines.

But 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, although levels are lower in other place.