Current location:opinions >>
US, Canada, Indigenous Groups Have Proposal to Address Cross
opinions679People have gathered around
Introductionbillings, mont. —The U.S., Canada and several Indigenous groups announced a proposal Monday to addre ...
The U.S., Canada and several Indigenous groups announced a proposal Monday to address pollution from coal mining in British Columbia that officials say has 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 principle” in the following months to reduce the pollution in the Elk-Kootenai watershed in partnership with tribes and first nations.
“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 — submitted through a bilateral panel known as the International Joint Commission — 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.
Officials from Montana, Idaho and British Columbia also would be invited to participate.
Senator Jon Tester of Montana issued a statement saying he's pleased that officials in Canada are involved after previous complaints from tribes that they were not cooperating.
“I'll continue to put pressure on the State Department to hold the Canadian government accountable,” the Democratic lawmaker added.
A Canadian coal company paid a $60 million fine in 2021 after pleading guilty in a court case involving pollution discharges in British Columbia blamed for harming fish populations. Investigators found Teck Resources Limited discharged hazardous amounts of selenium and calcite from two coal mines.
Teck Resources spokesperson Chris Stannell said in response to Monday's proposal that the company is making progress in improving water quality. It has built four water treatment plants that are removing at least 95% of the selenium from treated water, he said, with six more treatment plants planned by 2027.
Coal from the region is mined through a highly disruptive method known as mountaintop removal and sold to foundries for steel and metal production.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Culture Connection news portal”。http://pakistan.mybodyonelife.com/html-70a799865.html
Related articles
Kyren Wilson wins world snooker championship for the first time after beating Jak Jones 18
opinionsSHEFFIELD, England (AP) — English player Kyren Wilson won the world snooker championship for the fir ...
【opinions】
Read moreNASA's final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid rubble
opinionsCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a space ...
【opinions】
Read moreWalgreens books hefty charge as the drugstore chain adjusts the value of struggling clinics
opinionsWalgreens lost nearly $6 billion in its second quarter mainly due to a drop in value for the Village ...
【opinions】
Read more
Popular articles
- Chinese scientists create mutant Ebola virus to skirt around biosafety rules
- Navalny's body returned to mother, spokeswoman says
- How brown rats crawled off ships and conquered North American cities
- A California dog missing since the summer is found in Michigan
- Outrage as pro
- US tuberculosis cases were at the highest level in a decade in 2023
Latest articles
Yadav unbeaten ton helps Mumbai end losing streak in IPL
2 Laotian teens return home after release from Myanmar scam casino — Radio Free Asia
More than six in 10 US abortions in 2023 were done by medication
How brown rats crawled off ships and conquered North American cities
Who is youngest
Western leaders in Kyiv, G7 pledge support for Ukraine on war anniversary
LINKS
- China economy update: Evergrande shares plunge 70 per cent
- US defense chief denies genocide committed in Gaza
- Pair arrested for alleged theft of $20,000 worth of Lego
- Environmentally
- Few voters globally worried about climate change
- Dealing with fast spreading pest hits new milestone for Otago Regional Council
- HK gov't declines to say how much funding it gave for 'Chubby Hearts'
- 'Very significant' rise in home insurance premiums revealed
- Israel prepared to handle any Iran scenario, defence chief says
- Wellington workforce reeling from public service job cuts