Globe and Mail $

Teck Resources water-treatment plant shut after dead fish found

By Mark Hume on October 28, 2014

A $100-million treatment plant that is a key piece of Teck Resources Ltd.'s plan to address a selenium pollution problem in British Columbia's Elk Valley has been taken off line because of a fish kill.  Read more

Globe and Mail $

Opinion: New reports shed light on Fording River pollution problems

By Mark Hume on October 12, 2014

The Fording River seems to run through paradise in the wild Canadian Rocky Mountains, but Environment Canada experts say it is so heavily polluted that fish are hatching with terrible deformities and dying by the thousands. Teck Coal Ltd. has long acknowledged their responsibility concerning a pollution problem in the Elk Valley, with the company spending $600-million over the next five years in an unprecedented effort to improve water quality.  Read more

Globe and Mail $

B.C. orders Teck Coal to submit selenium plan

By Mark Hume on April 15, 2013

The British Columbia government has issued a ministerial order to Teck Coal Ltd. requiring the company to submit a plan for dealing with the high levels of selenium and other contaminants in the Elk Valley watershed. The order, which was welcomed by the company as "a constructive way to move forward," covers both the Elk and Fording rivers and Lake Koocanusa, an international body of water that stretches across the U.S. border. High selenium levels have been recorded, raising worries about the impact it could have on cutthroat trout, water birds and aquatic insects.  Read more

Globe and Mail $

NDP chides government for inaction on Elk River pollution

By Mark Hume on March 25, 2013

When Environment Canada investigators served a search warrant on Teck Coal Ltd. last spring, they zeroed in on waters in southeast British Columbia where researchers have catalogued some environmental horror stories. Cutthroat trout eggs that ruptured when they were exposed to water or produced fish with "mass deformities" were found in a 2008 study by the Elk Valley Selenium Task Force, a multi-stakeholder group that has been trying to come to grips with pollution problems in the area.  Read more

Globe and Mail $

Teck Coal facing serious water pollution in Elk Valley

By Mark Hume on March 21, 2013

Teck Coal Ltd. is facing a massive pollution problem in the Elk Valley, where a metal-like element known as selenium is leaching out of mine sites and collecting in the eggs of fish, frogs and water birds. Environment Canada has had investigators in the area in southeastern British Columbia collecting samples at mine sites, but Todd Gerhart, a Department of Justice prosecutor, refused to comment on Thursday when asked if charges are being contemplated.  Read more

Globe and Mail $

‘Elk River is being poisoned’ by coal mining, study finds

By Mark Hume on March 21, 2013

As it flows through the Rocky Mountains, near Fernie in southeastern British Columbia, the Elk River seems the picture of environmental health, with its crystal-clear waters supporting a world-famous sports fishery. But a new study by U.S. researchers warns that all is not well below the surface, where invisible pollutants – including selenium, a metal-like element that can cause spinal deformities in young fish – have reached alarming levels. "We've basically learned that the Elk River is being poisoned," Sarah Cox, interim director of the Sierra Club of B.C., said Wednesday.  Read more

Globe and Mail $

B.C. prepared to risk water quality on Elk Valley coal mine

By Mark Hume on November 24, 2013

When the provincial government issued an environmental certificate to Teck Coal Ltd. this fall it appeared pollution problems associated with a massive new coal mine in the Elk Valley had been resolved. But background documents show that is far from the case. The British Columbia government has rolled the dice on the project and is hoping that Teck's money – and experimental water-treatment plants – can save the Elk River.  Read more

Globe and Mail $

Opinion: Elk Valley watershed: Why has this unfolding disaster been ignored?

By Mark Hume on October 19, 2013

Few people know more about selenium poisoning than Dennis Lemly and that's why Environment Canada turned to him to assess federal research in British Columbia's Elk Valley watershed. The research associate professor at Wake Forest University in North Carolina has written an expert report that reviews the data being collected by the federal government in an investigation into pollution from coal mines.  Read more

Globe and Mail $

Opinion: Is it time to put the brakes on runaway coal development?

By Mark Hume on December 23, 2012

The coal industry is booming in British Columbia, with a dozen new mines proposed around the province and the port of Metro Vancouver making expansive plans to become the biggest coal-exporting facility in North America. But the flurry of activity is raising environmental concerns at both ends of the supply chain, and British Columbians may soon want to put the brakes on what is starting to look like a runaway coal train.  Read more

The Narwhal

Ktunaxa Nation pushed for an international inquiry into coal mining pollution for more than a decade. Is B.C. now on board?

As Canada and the U.S. negotiate an approach to address ongoing pollution from the Elk Valley coal mines, B.C. has signalled limited support for involving an international commission.

By Ainslie Cruickshank on August 21, 2023

For decades the Elk Valley coal mines have leached selenium and other contaminants into the creeks and rivers that flow through Ktunaxa Nation territory in Canada and the U.S. In October 2012, Ktunaxa Nation wrote to then U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton and Canada’s foreign affairs minister of the day, John Baird, asking them to task an international commission with investigating cross-border pollution from a string of massive coal mines in southeast British Columbia. … the government of B.C., which had previously been opposed to involving an international commission, has signalled a change of heart in a move the nation called “a surprising but long overdue turn of events.”  Read more

Victoria Times Colonist & Glacier Media papers

B.C.’s ‘dirty dozen’ mines called out in new report

By Stefan Labbé on May 29, 2023

A coal mine run by Teck Resources Ltd. — the same company whose board former premier John Horgan joined this year — tops the list of nearly a dozen mining projects called out for their risky operations or environmental records.. The report from BC Mining Law Reform, titled Dirty Dozen 2023: B.C.’s top polluting and risky mines, called out 11 mines and the province’s free-entry mining system as standing in the way of a responsible mining industry in the province.  Read more

The Narwhal

Biden and Trudeau agree to address mining pollution in B.C.’s Elk Valley — and it’s a big deal

By Ainslie Cruickshank on March 29, 2023

Pollution from some of Canada’s largest coal mines has been getting worse for decades and is now spilling over into the U.S. As the two heads of state turn their attention to the growing conundrum of selenium in B.C.’s southeast corner, here’s what you need to know.  Read more

Flathead Beacon

Indigenous Leaders Take Transboundary Pollution Concerns to Washington

By Tristan Scott on March 29, 2023

As U.S. and Canada near an agreement to resolve the contamination crisis on the Elk-Kootenai watershed, tribal leaders push for an International Joint Commission reference.  Read more

Vancouver Sun

B.C.’s Wildsight and U.S. colleagues hope support from Teck would push Canada into joining an International Joint Committee effort to better control pollution

By Derrick Penner on August 28, 2022

Conservation groups that have been at odds with Teck Resources over selenium pollution in the Elk River Valley in southeastern B.C. are now trying to enlist the company as an ally to push for cross-border cooperation to tackle its cleanup… Top of Form “supporting the International Joint Commission would show “that Teck is working in good faith and wants to see what happens in that valley is best for the community and then best for that ecosystem.”  Read more

CP

U.S. wants Canada to join investigation of cross-border pollution from B.C. coal mines

U.S. has been concerned for years about Teck coal mines in B.C.'s Elk Valley.

By Bob Weber on June 15, 2022

The United States government, including President Joe Biden's White House, has joined calls for Canada to participate in a probe of cross-border pollution coming from coal mines in southern British Columbia. In a statement released last week, the U.S. State Department said Biden supports a joint investigation of selenium coming from Teck Resources' Elk Valley coal mines, which flows into rivers and lakes south of the border.  Read more

CP

International commission asks Canada to join probe of selenium flowing from B.C.

Teck has long struggled with selenium contamination from its mines in B.C.'s Elk Valley.

By Bob Weber on June 1, 2022

The agency that mediates disputes between Canada and the United States over shared waters is pleading with the federal Liberals to join an investigation into contamination from British Columbia coal mines before the Americans move on their own. In a May 13 letter, the International Joint Commission asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to commit Canada to collaborating with the U.S. on studying and finding a solution to selenium from Teck Resource's Elk Valley mines that ends up in rivers and lakes south of the border. "We have heard from agencies. stakeholders, and Indigenous communities ... about their assessments that the problem is growing more critical,'' says the letter, addressed to both Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden.  Read more

The Narwhal

Canada flip-flops amid calls for international investigation into B.C. coal mine pollution

Behind the scenes of a decade-long fight for the International Joint Commission to investigate pollution from coal mines in B.C.’s Elk Valley.

By Ainslie Cruickshank on May 26, 2022

Since 2012, the Ktunaxa Nation Council, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, all part of the transboundary Ktunaxa Nation, have repeatedly called for the Canadian government to ask the International Joint Commission to scrutinize and recommend solutions to the contamination from coal mines. Their calls have been echoed by environmental groups, Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. Senator for Montana Jon Tester and even the joint commission itself. But, in late April, a spokesperson with Global Affairs Canada told the Ktunaxa Nation Council, which represents four First Nations in southeast B.C., that the government had decided against involving the International Joint Commission.  Read more

The Narwhal

Teck Resources, B.C. government pressed Ottawa to resist investigation into coal mine pollution

By Ainslie Cruickshank and Francesca Fionda on November 8, 2022

For a decade Ktunaxa Nation has been calling for a Canada-U.S. body to investigate coal pollution. New records show the B.C. government and Teck Resources lobbied against it. Internal documents show the B.C. government and mining giant Teck Resources quietly lobbied senior federal officials to quash a potential Canada-U.S. inquiry into transboundary water pollution from Teck’s coal mines in southeast B.C.  Read more

Discovery Alert

Glencore Achieves 165% Rise in Steelmaking Coal Production with Strategic Acquisition

Discover how Glencore's acquisition of Elk Valley Resources fueled a 165% surge in steelmaking coal production, transforming its industry position and setting a new benchmark in 2024.

January 30, 2025

  Read more

Business In Vancouver / Glacier Media papers

Sale of B.C. coal mines to Glencore was bad deal for Canada: report

MiningWatch report question's Swiss mining giant's track record.

By Nelson Bennett on July 22, 2024

Canadian and British mining watchdogs are criticizing the Trudeau government’s approval of the sale of B.C. steel-making coal mines to Glencore Plc, saying it’s a bad deal for Canada.  Read more

Agence France Press (AFP)

Swiss mining giant Glencore drops plan to exit coal

Swiss commodities giant Glencore announced Wednesday that it had decided against spinning off its coal business for now after consulting shareholders who view the polluting fossil fuel as a cash-generating activity.

August 8, 2024

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CP

Ottawa approves sale of Teck’s steelmaking coal business to Glencore

Teck Resources said it expects to receive $9.5 billion from the sale, excluding closing adjustments.

July 5, 2024

The last hurdle in Teck Resources Ltd.'s years-long effort to off-load its coal mining business and become purely a metals producer is cleared after the federal government approved the sale of the operation to Swiss commodities giant Glencore.  Read more

ISED News Release

Ministerial statement on the Investment Canada Act Review of Glencore’s Acquisition of Teck’s Coal Assets

July 4, 2024

… Glencore has also made binding undertakings that will ensure commitment to environmental preservation and stewardship of liabilities. … Glencore will obviously be required to maintain its obligations under the bond required by the BC Government regulator.  Read more

National Observer $

Glencore’s coal takeover draws ire of MPs

By Natasha Bulowski on July 29, 2024

… “Glencore is not the type of company we want taking control of Canadian mining because they're like corporate raiders in the mining sector,” NDP MP Charlie Angus told Canada’s National Observer in an interview. “They do not have a good track record.”  Read more

Mining Watch

A Bad Deal for Canada: Mining giant Glencore’s Canadian expansion threatens climate and communities

July 22, 2024

Swiss mining giant’s poor ESG record not reflected in federal government’s approval. ,,, A Bad Deal for Canada – a report by MiningWatch Canada, the London Mining Network (UK), and the Swiss corporate responsibility organization ASK! – uses public information to highlight Glencore’s long history of failed environmental promises, anti-climate and other controversial ESG practices, human rights violations, and even illegal activity.  Read more

CP

Teck Resources Ltd. says it has completed the sale of its remaining 77 per cent interest in its steelmaking coal business to Glencore plc

July 11, 2024

… The news comes as no surprise following the announcement last week by the federal government that it had approved the sale of the operation to the Swiss commodities giant. Vancouver-based Teck received US$7.3 billion from Glencore for its coal business, which it sought to off-load in order to focus more on critical minerals and the energy transition.  Read more

Corporate Knights

Feds ignore cost of water pollution cleanup as they greenlight Teck coal mine sale, Environmentalists say

Environmentalists say Ottawa’s approval of Swiss-based Glencore’s takeover of Teck Resources’ steelmaking coal mines leaves an “environmental disaster” in its wake.

By Eugene Ellmen on July 10, 2024

… But conservation and financial experts say that conditions of the approval are inadequate to protect the Elk Valley in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia… , “Teck is walking away from an unprecedented environmental disaster, with a windfall of billions of dollars,” says Casey Brennan, conservation director with the B.C. environmental group Wildsight. He says the company has been let off the hook.  Read more

Flathead Beacon

Conservation Groups Petition Canada for Details Surrounding Environmental Cleanup Obligations of Transboundary Watershed

A legal petition to Canada’s federal government seeks information surrounding the Swiss-based mining giant Glencore’s proposed takeover of coal mines in B.C.’s Elk Valley, upstream of Lake Koocanusa.

By Tristan Scott on June 23, 2024

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Wildsight

Legal petition will require answers from Ottawa on B.C. mine takeover

June 18, 2024

… The federal government will be required to answer questions as to how it is protecting Canadian taxpayers as part of its review of Glencore’s takeover of coal mines in British Columbia’s Elk Valley, thanks to a legal petition filed this week by Wildsight and Ecojustice. The Swiss-based mining and commodity giant’s US$6.9 billion acquisition of the mines from Canadian-owned Teck Resources was announced last November, but is subject to the federal government’s approval under the Investment Canada Act.  Read more

The Globe and Mail $

When Glencore spins off Teck’s dirty coal, it also spins off the cleanup to taxpayers

By Simon Nicholas on June 17, 2024

Simon is the lead analyst, global steel, with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Canadians, and British Columbians in particular, might want to pay close attention to Glencore’s plans for the Elk Valley Resources coal mines it is buying from Vancouver-based Teck Resources Ltd.  Read more

Globe and Mail $

Glencore urged to support International Joint Commission to resolve cross-border mining dispute

By Wendy Stueck on February 20, 2024

…The National Parks Conservation Association made the request in a December letter to Glencore, which is acquiring a majority stake in Elk Valley Resources, the coal-mining arm of Vancouver-based Teck Resources Ltd.  Read more

The Globe and Mail

Teck Resources to spin off coal business, end Keevil family control

By Andrew Willis on February 21, 2023

Teck Resources Ltd. launched a sweeping restructuring on Tuesday by announcing plans to spin off its coal business and end the founding Keevil family’s six-decade run at the helm of the country’s largest base metals miner. Vancouver-based Teck is asking shareholders to approve hiving off its steelmaking coal mines in British Columbia into a new company called Elk Valley Resources Ltd. Teck valued its offspring at $11.5-billion and will list Elk Valley on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The parent will focus on increasing copper production at mines in North and South America, and be renamed Teck Metals Corp.  Read more

The Narwhal

These massive B.C. coal mines are about to get a new owner

Why some are worried about Glencore’s record.

By Ainslie Cruickshank on November 24, 2023

If the sale goes through, the company will inherit a contamination problem decades in the making, deepening uncertainty about a long-anticipated international inquiry into the region’s cross-border pollution. Teck’s plan to sell its Elk Valley coal mines to Swiss mining giant Glencore has raised alarm bells on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border amid negotiations over an international inquiry into extensive water contamination from the mines. The sale “introduces huge uncertainty into a very alarming situation,” Tom McDonald, chairman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, said in a statement to The Narwhal. “Glencore’s record is really concerning.”  Read more

Black Press Media

Wildsight raises concern over Glencore purchase of Elk Valley coal mines

U.S. Senator wants to forge ahead with a unilateral investigation of Kootenay watershed pollution issues.

By Trevor Crawley on November 21, 2023

… “We need the IJC to independently investigate the total extent of the pollution and the true costs for its complete remediation in the Elk-Kootenay river system,” said Randal Macnair, Wildsight Elk Valley Conservation co-ordinator, in a press release. … As Global Affairs Canada remains non-committal on the process, U.S. Senator Jon Tester, representing Montana, says the United States should forge ahead with a unilateral reference if Canada is “unwilling to meaningfully engage on this issue.”  Read more

The Narwhal

Coal mine pollution: international inquiry details plan to investigate Canada, U.S. contamination

After decades of pollution from B.C. coal mines, an international inquiry is proposing to spotlight solutions to issues like selenium contamination.

By Ainslie Cruickshank on February 4, 2025

The Canada-U.S. treaty organization investigating transboundary water pollution from coal mines in southeast British Columbia offered new details Monday about its plan to study the contentious issue, and is now seeking public input…. According to the new proposed plan, an expert panel will compile existing data on water quality and impacts to human and ecosystem health — and explore potential solutions to reduce the flow of pollution from the mines. … Rich Janssen, head of the natural resources department and member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes” “We need to see sound science,” he said. “We need to see the data for the mining impacts to fish, water and people and make every effort to heal the watershed.”  Read more

Idaho Capital Sun

U.S., Canada officials to study impact of coal mining in North Idaho’s Kootenai River

The Kootenai River stems from British Columbia’s Elk Valley, about a two and a half hour drive northeast of Bonners Ferry.

By Mia Maldonado on August 14, 2024

The Kootenai River is home to burbot and white sturgeon, both of which have suffered significant population loss after the construction of Libby Dam in Montana in 1975. The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho has worked to restore those fish populations over the years.  Read more

Wildsight

Five things to know about the IJC investigation into Elk-Kootenay water pollution

By Amelia Caddy on August 12, 2024

It’s been a busy summer of news for the Elk Valley’s coal mines. Swiss company Glencore finalized its acquisition of the mines in early July, shortly before a new report sounded the alarm over Glencore’s environmental and human rights track record; the US Geological Survey published its findings that selenium pollution is travelling over 500 kilometres downstream to the Columbia River; and Environment and Climate Change Canada laid five new charges against Teck for polluting fish-bearing waterways. Amongst all this, the International Joint Commission (IJC) investigation into water pollution in the Elk-Kootenay watershed is a shining light of hope for the communities and nations affected. … So, what is the IJC, how will this reference play out, and why are so many people excited about it?  Read more

University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre

Update on Elk Valley and Cross-Border Coal Mine Pollution

May 13, 2024

Cross-border coal mine pollution in the Elk-Kootenai/y Watershed may soon have the attention and action it deserves. A 2021 submission the ELC filed on behalf of Wildsight helped lead to a recent referral from Canada, the US and the Ktunaxa Nation to the International Joint Commission (IJC) to address transboundary water pollution in the Elk-Kootenai/y Watershed. The ELC became involved in late 2020 when Wildsight came to us looking for a solution to deal with coal mine pollution in the Elk Valley that was causing serious damage to fish.  Read more

The Narwhal

Canada, U.S. launch international inquiry into southeast B.C. pollution

Ktunaxa Nation has been calling for an International Joint Commission’s inquiry to address pollution from the Elk Valley coal mines for more than a decade.

By Ainslie Cruickshank on March 11, 2024

Nearly 12 years after Ktunaxa Nation first urged the Canadian and U.S. governments to task an international body with investigating the mine pollution coursing through its territory, the two countries have agreed to a step the nation says is key to addressing contamination from B.C.’s Elk Valley coal mines.  Read more

The Globe and Mail $

Canada, U.S. governments reach deal to address cross-border coal pollution

By Wendy Stueck, Environment Reporter on March 11, 2024

The Canadian and U.S. governments have agreed to put the issue of cross-border pollution from B.C. coal mines before the International Joint Commission, a body set up more than a century ago to resolve conflicts over shared waters.  Read more

CP

U.S., Canada to launch probe into pollution from B.C. coal mines

Long-running cross-border dispute involves pollution from B.C. coal mines flowing into American waters

By Bob Weber and James McCarten on March 11, 2024

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Fernie Free Press

Canada, U.S. agree to study transboundary water pollution concerns in Kootenay watershed

Ktunaxa Nation governments have been seeking an International Joint Commission reference for over a decade.

By Trevor Crawley on March 11, 2024

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Reuters

US, Canada to review pollution of US waters by British Columbia coal mines

By Kanishka Singh on March 11, 2024

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Flathead Beacon

U.S., Canada Agree to IJC Intervention on Transboundary Mining Pollution

Calling it 'an important first step' to solve mining pollution on the Elk-Kootenai River watershed, tribal and First Nation governments in Montana, Idaho and British Columbia cheered the long-awaited reference to the International Joint Commission.

By Tristan Scott on March 11, 2024

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Ktunaxa Nation

In Partnership with the Transboundary Ktunaxa Nation, U.S. and Canada Take Important First Step to Address Mining Pollution in the Elk-Kootenai/y Watershed

Leadership of the transboundary Ktunaxa Nation—the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, and the Ktunaxa First Nations of ʔakisq̓nuk, ʔaq̓am, Yaqan Nuʔkiy, and Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it—are encouraged to announce that the United States and Canada, in partnership with the Nation, have finally agreed to ask the International Joint Commission (IJC) to study and make recommendations to address the mining pollution in the Elk and Kootenai/y rivers through a joint reference.

March 11, 2024

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Flathead Beacon

IJC Appoints Board of Experts to Study Mining Pollution in Elk-Kootenai Watershed

Tom Bansak of the Flathead Lake Biological Station will co-chair the study board to investigate Canadian coal mining pollution on Montana’s international boundary

By Tristan Scott on October 2, 2024

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Fernie Free Press

The Ktunaxa Nation and the federal government have co-developed a plan to allocate $58 million towards fish and fish habitat projects in the Kootenays

By Trevor Crawley on March 14, 2025

  Read more

Montana Free Press

Study finds mining-related pollution 350 miles downstream of Canadian coal mines

Regulators in the U.S. say the study shows that dangerous levels of selenium are entering the waterways of Montana and Idaho.

By Amanda Eggert on September 19, 2024

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey have concluded that a large coal-mining operation in British Columbia is sending pollution more than 350 miles downstream into the Columbia River. The study also found that selenium levels in the Upper Columbia watershed continue to rise in British Columbia, Montana and Idaho, despite Elk Valley Resources’ $1.4 billioninvestment in technology to remove selenium, a trace element that can hamper fish reproduction and lead to gill, facial and spinal deformities.  Read more

The Narwhal

Food harvested near Teck coal mines higher in selenium than grocery store food, health risk study shows

Selenium risks depend on amount of fish people eat from rivers downstream of Teck coal mines, according to a risk assessment quietly released by the B.C. government.

By Ainslie Cruickshank on July 3, 2024

Eating fish from the rivers and creeks polluted by Teck's coal mines is the main way people could be exposed to selenium, according to a human health risk assessment the company was required to undertake.  Read more

Black Press

Province amends Elk Valley Water Quality Plan

Province plans amendments to Elk Valley Water Quality Plan.

By Trevor Crawley on July 18, 2024

The province is updating the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan with a pair of amendments designed to improve how B.C. manages the effects of mining on water quality. The province says the changes are reflective of balancing a commitment to improving water quality while supporting industries critical to the communities and economy of the region, according to a news release issued July 16.  Read more

The Narwhal

Teck Coal is headed to court on water pollution charges — again

Teck Resources was warned over a year ago about a federal investigation into pollution from one of the Elk Valley coal mines it just sold to Glencore.

By Ainslie Cruickshank on July 16, 2024

Teck Resources got a heads up more than a year ago that one of its southeast B.C. coal mines was under investigation for allegedly violating Canada’s Fisheries Act. … The charges come more than three years after Teck pleaded guilty to similar charges over pollution from its Greenhills and Fording River mines. In that case, the company was ordered to pay $60 million in penalties — the largest fine ever issued for Fisheries Act violations — for releasing contaminants into fish habitat.  Read more

CP

Coal mine contaminants blown onto snowpack in Alta., B.C.: study

Cancer-causing chemicals found in melted snowpack from B.C.'s Elk Valley near 4 coal mines.

By Bob Weber on June 19, 2024

Cancer-causing chemicals are being blown downwind from coal mines in southern British Columbia in concentrations that rival those next to oilsand mines, newly published research has concluded.  Read more

Flathead Beacon

Why is Austin Knudson Working for a Foreign Polluter?

In a bizarre twist, the Montana Board of Environmental Review is trying to reverse stringent selenium standards.

By Chris Servheen on April 22, 2024

Chris is the president and board chair of the Montana Wildlife Federation.  Read more

Flathead Beacon

Montana DOJ Denies Access to ‘Privileged Communications’ with Canadian Coal Company

A conservation group is embroiled in litigation to defend the state’s selenium standard at the U.S.-Canada border against attempts by the Justice Department to rescind it; AG Knudsen accuses conservation group of “weaponization” of open records act.

By Tristan Scott on April 22, 2024

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Victoria Times Colonist

Comment: With the sale of Teck coal mines, make polluters pay

As the world stops buying coal, how will companies pay for massive future remediation and perpetual water treatment operations?

By Calvin Sandborn and Fraser Thomson on April 22, 2024

Calvin Sandborn KC is a senior environmental lawyer, and Fraser Thomson is a lawyer with Ecojustice.  Read more

Flathead Beacon

Opinion: Hold Glencore Accountable for Cleaning up Montana Waters

Montana derives no jobs or significant economic benefits from either CFAC or the mines in Canada, just pollution.

April 18, 2024

Jim Vashro is the former Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Regional Director for Region 1 (northwest Montana).  Read more

Daily Montanan

Environmental policy group sues DOJ over withheld communications with Canadian coal company

Suit seeks to force DOJ to turn over records, privilege log.

By Blair Miller on April 16, 2024

A Montana environmental policy group sued the state Department of Justice on Friday, alleging the department is violating the organization’s right to know under the constitution by withholding communications between the department and a Canadian coal mining company whose pollution is flowing downstream to Montana. Environmental policy group sues DOJ over withheld communications with Canadian coal company.  Read more

Flathead Beacon

Montana DOJ Denies Access to ‘Privileged Communications’ with Canadian Coal Company

A conservation group is embroiled in litigation to defend the state’s selenium standard at the U.S.-Canada border against attempts by the Justice Department to rescind it; AG Knudsen accuses conservation group of “weaponization” of open records act.

By Tristan Scott on April 16, 2024

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New York Times

Tracing Mining’s Threat to U.S. Waters

Environmental concerns are raised anew about potential contamination from Canadian open-pit mines flowing through the waterways into Montana’s lakes, harming fish.

By Jum Robbins on July 11, 2023

In the mountain streams of southern British Columbia and northern Montana, a rugged part of the world, fish with misshapen skulls and twisted spines have been caught over the years. Many scientists attribute the malformed creatures and declines in certain fish populations to five enormous open-pit coal mines that interrupt this wild landscape of dense forest flush with grizzly bears and wolves. For decades, these mines owned by Teck Resources, a multinational mining company based in Canada, have been the subject of environmental concerns because of chemicals like selenium, a mining waste product, that leach into mountain rivers flowing through Indigenous land and across the border into U.S. waterways.  Read more

Western News, Lake Country News, Billings Gazette

Who’s behind push to change selenium standards? Governor-appointed board caters to foreign mining company

When a Canadian mining company successfully lobbied a Montana board appointed by Governor Gianforte to let them add more pollution to Montana’s water, it’s time to take a step back and figure out how we got here.

March 30, 2023

In 2020, Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) published standards for how much selenium was allowed in Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River in northwest Montana. These standards were developed over several years in conjunction with the EPA’s national criteria and by a coalition including British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, USFWS, USGS, University of Saskatchewan, Environmental Consulting (rep. Teck Coal Ltd.), U.S. Tribes, and B.C. First Nations. Imagine our surprise, then, to see that Teck Resources Ltd. – a Canadian coal mining company that participated in that process – is now trying to overturn standards that it helped create. Who’s behind push to change selenium standards?  Read more

The Narwhal

$1.2B later, Teck Resources has barely put a dent in its pollution problems, documents show

As Teck Resources plans to distance itself from coal, government records show the mining giant remains a long way from solving the widespread contamination of local rivers and creeks — despite having already invested $1.2 billion in water treatment/

April 6, 2023

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Montana Free Press

Study says Canadian coal mines put unparalleled pollution in Montana-bound waters

By Amanda Eggert on December 20, 2023

U.S. Geological Survey researchers say rising levels of nitrate and selenium in Canada’s Elk River are unparalleled in the annals of modern monitoring.  Read more

The Narwhal

Coal contamination spurs search for new backup drinking water source in Rocky Mountain city

Monitoring shows above-guideline selenium concentrations in secondary drinking water wells in Fernie, B.C., downstream of coal mines owned by Teck Resources.

By Ainslie Cruickshank on December 19, 2023

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Victoria Times Colonist & ~ 2O other BC papers

Largest ever selenium spike connected to B.C. coal mines

By Stefan Labbé on November 22, 2023

B.C. coal mines linked to record-breaking toxin spike in U.S. waters, study says Lead scientist in U.S. Geological Survey study says there is now 'strong evidence' B.C. coal mines are linked to largest selenium increase ever recorded.  Read more

CP

U.S. study finds Canadian mining toxin in American waters; treatment ‘a small dent

By Bob Weber on November 21, 2023

A new American study has confirmed southeastern British Columbia coal mines are contaminating waters shared by Canada and the U.S., adding the miner’s attempts to remove selenium from wastewater aren’t making much difference to the amount flowing south.  Read more

The Narwhal

How pollution from Canadian coal mines threatens the fish at the heart of communities from B.C. to Idaho

By Ainslie Cruickshank on April 23, 2022

Selenium from a string of Teck Resources' mines in southeastern B.C. is projected to contaminate the transboundary watershed connecting Canada to the U.S. for centuries to come. The Narwhal travelled the route of the pollutant to hear how scientists, Indigenous leaders and conservationists are tracking its impact in treasured fish species from the Elk Valley to the Libby Dam and beyond.  Read more

CBC

Coal company Teck fined $60M for contaminating rivers in southeastern B.C.

Fine for polluting Elk and Fording rivers in 2012 is largest ever under federal Fisheries Act.

By Bob Weber on March 26, 2021

A Canadian coal-mining company faces the largest fine imposed under the Fisheries Act after pleading guilty to contaminating waterways in southeastern British Columbia. Teck Coal, a subsidiary of Teck Resources, is to pay $60 million after a judge on Friday agreed to a joint submission from Environment Canada and the company. "Teck did not exercise all due diligence to prevent the deposit of coal mine waste rock leachate into the Fording River from settling ponds," federal prosecutor Alexander Clarkson, reading from an agreed statement of facts, said in B.C. provincial court.  Read more

The Narwhal

Teck fined $60 million for water pollution in B.C.’s Elk Valley

The company’s CEO apologized for releases of selenium and calcite from metallurgical coal mines after receiving the largest penalty ever handed down for offences under the federal Fisheries Act

By Ainslie Cruickshank on March 21, 2021

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CP

Americans blame Canadians for delaying damning report on B.C. toxins in transboundary waters

Commission's Canadian members refused to endorse report on selenium in the Elk River watershed.

By Bob Weber on July 18, 2018

United States officials are accusing their Canadian counterparts of sitting on damning new data about toxic chemicals from southern British Columbia coal mines in water shared by both countries. In a letter to the U.S. State Department, Americans on the International Joint Commission say Canadian members are blocking the release of information on contaminants that are many times above guideline levels.  Read more

The Narwhal

Coal mine pollution: international inquiry details plan to investigate Canada, U.S. contamination

After decades of pollution from B.C. coal mines, an international inquiry is proposing to spotlight solutions to issues like selenium contamination.

By Ainslie Cruickshank on February 4, 2025

The Canada-U.S. treaty organization investigating transboundary water pollution from coal mines in southeast British Columbia offered new details Monday about its plan to study the contentious issue, and is now seeking public input…. According to the new proposed plan, an expert panel will compile existing data on water quality and impacts to human and ecosystem health — and explore potential solutions to reduce the flow of pollution from the mines. … Rich Janssen, head of the natural resources department and member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes” “We need to see sound science,” he said. “We need to see the data for the mining impacts to fish, water and people and make every effort to heal the watershed.”  Read more

Montana Free Press

Study finds mining-related pollution 350 miles downstream of Canadian coal mines

Regulators in the U.S. say the study shows that dangerous levels of selenium are entering the waterways of Montana and Idaho.

By Amanda Eggert on September 19, 2024

Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey have concluded that a large coal-mining operation in British Columbia is sending pollution more than 350 miles downstream into the Columbia River. The study also found that selenium levels in the Upper Columbia watershed continue to rise in British Columbia, Montana and Idaho, despite Elk Valley Resources’ $1.4 billioninvestment in technology to remove selenium, a trace element that can hamper fish reproduction and lead to gill, facial and spinal deformities.  Read more

Business In Vancouver / Glacier Media papers

Sale of B.C. coal mines to Glencore was bad deal for Canada: report

MiningWatch report question's Swiss mining giant's track record.

By Nelson Bennett on July 22, 2024

Canadian and British mining watchdogs are criticizing the Trudeau government’s approval of the sale of B.C. steel-making coal mines to Glencore Plc, saying it’s a bad deal for Canada.  Read more

New York Times

Tracing Mining’s Threat to U.S. Waters

Environmental concerns are raised anew about potential contamination from Canadian open-pit mines flowing through the waterways into Montana’s lakes, harming fish.

By Jum Robbins on July 11, 2023

In the mountain streams of southern British Columbia and northern Montana, a rugged part of the world, fish with misshapen skulls and twisted spines have been caught over the years. Many scientists attribute the malformed creatures and declines in certain fish populations to five enormous open-pit coal mines that interrupt this wild landscape of dense forest flush with grizzly bears and wolves. For decades, these mines owned by Teck Resources, a multinational mining company based in Canada, have been the subject of environmental concerns because of chemicals like selenium, a mining waste product, that leach into mountain rivers flowing through Indigenous land and across the border into U.S. waterways.  Read more

Victoria Times Colonist, Glacier Media papers

Most British Columbians want mining companies to pay for pollution, says poll

“British Columbians are worried they’re going to be left with the bill to clean up this mess," says advocate.

By Stefan Labbé on April 11, 2024

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Globe and Mail $

Cleanup for pollution from Teck coal mines will top $6.4-billion, assessment claims

By Wendy Stueck on March 19, 2024

It will cost at least $6.4-billion to tackle selenium contamination from Teck Resources Ltd.’s Elk Valley coal mines, according to a new report – far exceeding a $1.9-billion security bond required by the B.C. government to cover cleanup.  Read more

Glacier Media

Report puts cost of B.C. coal mine pollution cleanup at $6.4B

Environmental group warns Glencore of costly pollution problem it could inherit with Teck coal mine acquisition.

By Nelson Bennett on March 19, 2024

  Read more

Financial Post / National Post

Cleanup of pollution from Teck coal mines to cost billions more than estimate, says report

Non-profit study finds it will cost $6.4 billion to clean up toxic runoffs, three times the amount set by the province.

By Naimul Karim on March 19, 2024

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Reuters

Canadian miner Teck’s Elk Valley clean up could cost at least C$6.4 bln, environment group says

By Divya Rajagopal and Clara Denina on March 19, 2024

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CP

$6.4B needed to clean toxic selenium from B.C. coal mines: report

Report commissioned by Wildsight says cleanup costs 3 times what has been set aside by mine operators Teck.

By Bob Weber on March 19, 2024

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The Narwhal

Costs to clean up Teck’s B.C. coal mines are billions higher than previously thought: report

By Francesca Fionda and Ainslie Cruickshank on March 19, 2024

A new report finds the price tag to treat water contaminated with selenium in the Elk Valley could be $6.4 billion — more than three times the amount reported to the B.C. government.  Read more

National Observer

Cleanup costs could be three times higher for Teck Resources’ coal mines, says report

By Natasha Bulowski on March 19, 2024

Clean up of selenium pollution from Teck Resources’ coal mines could cost $6.4 billion — or more than three times the deposit required so taxpayers don’t foot the bill, says a new report.  Read more

Narwhal & Globe and Mail

British Columbia’s multimillion-dollar mining problem

By Francesca Fionda, Jeffrey Jones and Chen Wang on February 21, 2024

The true cost of cleaning up mine pollution in B.C. is growing, an investigation by The Globe and Mail and The Narwhal has found. If disaster strikes, taxpayers could be stuck with covering the costs.  Read more