Achi news desk-
ETHBRIDGE, ALTA. –
Canada and the US will review the downstream impact of pollution caused by BC coal mining.
Indigenous groups and government agencies south of the border have pushed for Canada to crack down on coal mining pollution that flows downstream into Montana and Idaho.
The work is done under the International Joint Commission.
“We’ve been working on this issue with the water pollution in the Elk River, coming into the Kootenai River and into our aboriginal fishing grounds and use areas for over a decade,” said Tom McDonald, chairman of the Confederacy of Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
The Canadian government initially refused to join any kind of investigation.
But Canada eventually agreed to the coal mining review after pressure from American senators and officials.
“Throughout the United States the United States government had been supporting the participation of the IJC. The delay was on Canada’s part,” said Kathryn Teneese, chair of the Ktunaxa National Council.
Indigenous nations and communities on both sides of the border have been calling for a review of coal mine pollution.
Groups living near or downstream from the mines say they have been negatively affected by pollution.
Fisheries in particular have been hit hard.
“It affects the fisheries. The little fish that get hit first, they lose their reproductive abilities,” McDonald said.
“You see these misshapen fish in the system. So when it goes on and big fish eat small fish then it continues to be selenium in the environment.”
The pollution comes from the Elk Valley Mines in BC
The mines are owned by Teck Resources who are in the process of selling the operation to Glencore, a Swiss mining company.
“Teck is committed to continuing to work collaboratively with Indigenous peoples, communities and governments to protect aquatic health and share data, and we have made significant progress in implementing the Elk Valley water quality plan, which is successfully improving water quality in the region,” Teck said in a statement.
A team of researchers will soon begin examining pollution in BC, Montana and Idaho before coming back with recommendations on how to tackle the contaminants.
Investigators won’t know the full extent of the damage until the review is complete.
