It boggles the mind when I read that the International Joint Commission can’t meet because the Canadian members are restricted by COVID. Supposedly important and necessary business is OK for border crossing. Isn’t an international commission important and necessary?
There are three-side dump trucks hauling magnetite from the rail spur in Eureka into Canada for use in the very mine that is causing the selenium pollution of Lake Koocanusa. They make several trips a day, five days a week. I guess that is more important than an international commission meeting.
If that cross-border traffic were interrupted, it might get someone’s attention for a minute. Of course, the mine would just switch rail carriers and continue polluting the lake and river system, but it would cause a delay and cost more.
BNSF Railway would lose a minor customer and the U.S. trucking company would lose an income stream so I guess we should just continue looking the other way.
After all those Canadian mining companies are entitled to a fat profit, even if they are permanently ruining a whole major river system fishery on this side of the border.
Remember the expensive artificial floods downstream from Libby’s dam for the salmon and sturgeon? Now we are just going to wash them with selenium.
Remember the damage the Anaconda Mining Company inflicted on Montana for nearly 100 years?
Remember the constitutional protections in the Montana Constitution for Montana waters? If this were a Montana mine it would have been shut down years ago.
Remember the very one-sided treaty that allowed the construction of Lake Koocanusa and gave the lion’s share of the electricity to Canadians?
Jay Stoddard
Eureka