Letters to the editor June 26
Selenium standards
Politicians are selling out Lincoln County.
Teck coal mines in British Columbia are dumping selenium into Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River. Excess selenium produces deformities and death in fish and is a human health concern. Cutthroat below one mine are missing gill covers and numbers have dropped 90%. Koocanusa burbot are almost gone. “Trophy” rainbows seldom make it over 5 pounds. Mountain whitefish in the river have decreased 50%.
Federal, Montana and tribal representatives worked for five years to customize selenium standards for the Kootenai drainage, meeting over 40 times with nine public meetings. The standards were accepted by the Montana Board of Environmental Review and EPA. Four of nine fish species sampled in Koocanusa exceed these selenium limits. Some politicians now claim that selenium limits were set too fast, the science is incomplete. Mostly it appears they chose to not attend the meetings.
Teck has drawn Canadian pollution fines. The Chinese government owns 10% of Teck and a Chinese official is on Teck’s Board. Most of Teck’s mined coal is shipped to Asia. Now, Lincoln County commissioners and some Montana legislators want to allow more selenium from this Canadian mine into Montana waters.
The Montana Board of Environmental Review, newly appointed by Gov. Greg Gianforte, asked EPA to relax selenium standards, astoundingly using a letter drafted by Teck. The BC Premier resigned to join the Teck Board. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau declined an IJC Committee to study transboundary pollution. Montana has no jobs threatened by the selenium limits, all we get is more pollution.
Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River are vital to Lincoln County’s economy and lifestyle. Just as important, the Montana Constitution guarantees citizens the right to a clean and healthful environment. Lincoln County deserves no less.
— Jim Vashro and Chris Servheen, Montana Wildlife Federation
Government inefficiency
Government inefficiency knows no bounds. A classic example is the fact that it takes a literal act of Congress to add flights from the Western U.S. into Reagan National Airport in D.C. This arbitrary restriction on the free market has resulted in underutilization of that airport, and fewer options and higher fares for those of us in the West.
It all goes back to good ole boy deals made back when Reagan National Airport was first constructed decades ago. By loosening the federal binds on Reagan National, Montanans would benefit from better and more affordable access to the DC area and our government. It works the other way too, giving folks easier access to Montana from the DC area.
I urge Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines to support the DCA Act to add more flights into Reagan National from the Western United States. Let’s take one small step to eliminate government inefficiency for the benefit of Montanans.
— Rep. Steven Galloway, R-Great Falls