Groups Press Gov. Bullock to Address Canadian Coal Pollutants

Conservation and sportsmen groups, a coalition of tribes and some Northwest Montana businesses are ramping up pressure on Gov. Steve Bullock to demand that regulatory agencies in British Columbia follow international standards before approving new coal mines that could jeopardize downstream waters.

The advertising campaign echoes the concerns of conservation groups and scientists on both sides of the border who have called on Teck Resources to halt new coal mines in the Elk River Valley, where mining pollutants including selenium have been spilling from waste rock and crossing the international border into Lake Koocanusa.

Selenium is a naturally occurring element in sedimentary rocks and coal and can be toxic to fish at elevated levels, which are exacerbated by mining operations and the accumulation of waste rock, according to guidelines by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Meanwhile, the mining operations continue, even as scientists and researchers from a multitude of agencies work to develop a site-specific plan for protecting Lake Koocanusa, where they continue to monitor the influx of selenium leaching out of the upstream coal mines.
http://flatheadbeacon.com/2017/08/08/groups-press-gov-bullock-address-canadian-coal-pollutants/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teck_Resources#Environmental_record

In the past, Teck Cominco has been criticized and sued for violating environmental laws and standards. Teck Resources, however, has made "best in class" environmental and social performance a priority of late, and is getting recognized for its efforts; awards for safety, reclamation and sustainable development are all available for public scrutiny on their website, as is their sustainability report.

Cominco Tank Car
The company's smelter in Trail, British Columbia was blamed in 2003 for heavily contaminating the Columbia River. Legal action taken by American citizens living in settlements downriver progressed to the U.S. Supreme Court and was recently denied certiorari, solidifying the Appellate Court's holding that Teck is subject to U.S. jurisdiction even though it is a Canadian company.
A refinery belonging to Teck in Trail, British Columbia was the site of a lead spill into the Columbia River on May 28, 2008.