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Big Sky Connection - Indigenous leaders from the Northwest are flying to Washington, D.C., to discuss what they say are threats from expanding mine operations in British Columbia. Comments from Richard Janssen (JAN-sin), Jr., Department Head of Natural Resources, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; and Erin Farris-Olsen, regional executive director of the Northern Rockies, Prairies, and Pacific region, National Wildlife Federation. (Pronouncers: Salish is "SAY-lish;" Kootenai is "KOOT-nee.")
Click on the image above for the audio. - There's a long history of mining across the Canadian province of British Columbia. (davidrh/Adobe Stock)
Eric Tegethoff
December 5, 2022
Tribal representatives from across the Northwest are flying into Washington, D.C. this week to discuss how mine waste in British Columbia is threatening their way of life.
With plans in the Canadian province for doubling the number of mines, tribes say waste already affects waterways downstream in the U.S.
Richard Janssen Jr. is the Department Head of Natural Resources for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and is in D.C. this week. He said selenium waste from mines near the Elk River north of Montana has a detrimental effect on waterways.
"We're not against mining at all," said Janssen. "What we are against - mining that contaminates our waters, waters of the U.S, waters of our sister tribes, affecting our fish that were here long before us, affecting our way of life, our culture."
Janssen said he plans to meet with Montana's congressional delegation and members of the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department.
Tribes from Alaska, Idaho and Washington will also be in D.C.
Teck Resources, which operates mines near the Elk River, said in a statement that it's engaged in a long-term plan to reverse selenium levels, and has invested more than $1 billion in water quality over the past decade.
Erin Farris-Olsen - regional executive director of Northern Rockies, Prairies and Pacific region for the National Wildlife Federation - said Canada isn't being a good neighbor on this issue, and should do more to ensure the industry is properly regulated.
Farris-Olsen also noted that some of the dams holding back toxic tailings from mines are taller than the Seattle Space Needle, and could fail.
She took an aerial tour of the mines to the north of Glacier National Park.
"Seeing this pristine ecosystem that is valued so highly by our government and our community, both local and abroad," said Farris-Olsen, "and to know that just right on the other side of a few mountains is this giant operation that really has such a destructive potential when expanded."
Janssen said part of the goal of this week's meetings is to ensure tribal nations have a seat at the table on discussions about the transboundary impacts of mines. He also said it's important to spread awareness about this issue.
"Boundaries don't stop water flowing," said Janssen. "Boundaries don't stop the selenium coming down from those mines. And so, we're just hoping to get more of a focus on this area, because I just don't think many people know what's happening."
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Big Sky Connection
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Eric Tegethoff
December 2, 2022
The Biden administration has proposed a rule to limit methane flaring from oil and gas development on public lands.
The rule would impose royalty payments for excessive flaring, and the Bureau of Land Management estimates it would generate nearly $40 million a year.
Melissa Hornbein, a senior attorney based in Montana with the Western Environmental Law Center, said she's encouraged by some aspects of the proposal, but believes an outright ban would be more effective, as long as there are no safety concerns in a given situation.
"There's really no need for it," she said, "and instituting a pay-to-play system is not likely to be effective in terms of really reducing the waste of associated gas through venting and flaring."
Hornbein said it's important that the BLM has recognized its authority to regulate such oil and gas waste as methane, and her organization would like to see the agency go further to create a consistent and durable rule that will last into the next administration.
A spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Association of America said the regulations should be handled by the Environmental Protection Agency, because the BLM doesn't have enough expertise on this issue.
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PNS - Friday, December 2, 2022 - Group wants rollbacks of some IA voting restrictions; RSV, Flu, COVID: KY faces "Triple Threat" this winter; Appeals court halts special master review of documents seized at Mar-a-Lago.
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PNS - Friday, December 2, 2022 - The Senate passes a bill forcing a labor agreement in an effort to avoid a costly railway worker strike. The House Ways and Means Committee has former President Trump's tax returns in hand. The Agriculture Committee is looking at possible regulations for cryptocurrency following the collapse of cryptocurrency giant FTX. The Supreme Court will be reviewing the legality of Biden s student debt relief program next year. Anti-semitic comments from Ye spark the deletion of tweets from the House Judiciary Committee GOP's Twitter account.
